They are the last Jasper hockey team standing this season, and if they can play their final game the same way they did their match this weekend, the Jasper Bantam Bearcats will be playoff champions.

The young team has already earned one banner this year, capturing the regular season title after going 14-1-1, narrowly missing out on a perfect year. The home side squeaked by Thorild in the first round of the playoffs, and last Saturday (March 4) played host to Legal, a team that had been nipping at their heels all year long in the battle to lead the Sturgeon-Pembina Hockey League.

The playoff title is determined through a two-game total goal series, so Jasper took the ice knowing that they needed not only to win, but to put up a large margin of victory in order to be in good position for the return leg in Legal.

Things did not seem to be going Jasper’s way early on, as the visiting Eagles scored first. Killing off the game’s first penalty proved fraught with difficulties for the Bearcats, as goaltender Shea Barker was unable to corrall a rebound and an opportunistic Legal player took full advantage. 

It did not take long for Jasper to get back on even terms, however, with Michael Chorneyko scoring on a pinball play just three minutes later. Taking a pass from Jordan Kocon, the Bearcat captain fired a shot from the slot that deflected past a surprised Legal netminder.

On the very next shift, Chorneyko nearly had his second of the game as he made multiple attempts to stuff a loose puck under a pileup of prone defenders, but he could not connect. Jasper’s continued control of the play was to pay off in short order, as Kocon turned scorer, taking a pass from Jayton Paul and slipping a shot between the goaltender’s legs. The teams headed into the dressing rooms with Jasper up 2-1.

Legal came out for the second period buzzing with energy, putting increased pressure

on the Bearcat goal. Barker was up to challenge, making several key stops from point blank range to preserve his team’s lead. The home team then put more distance between themselves and their opponents when Brantley Schapansky scored on Jasper’s first power play opportunity. Picking up a loose puck near the attacking blueline, Schapansky skated hard to the net, where he bamboozled the hapless Legal keeper with a high-speed feint before tucking the puck in.

For the rest of the frame, Jasper’s larger forwards, Schapansky in particular, were utterly dominant, intimidating their diminuitive guests like a Bantam level Legion of Doom. Despite this, the score was only 3-1 in Jasper’s favour after two.

It didn’t take long for that lead to increase once the third period got underway. Chorneyko found himself alone behind the Legal net, and seeing that the goalie was hugging the opposite post, made a quick move on the wraparound to score his second and the team’s fourth. Just before the ten minute mark, it was Paul’s turn to tickle the twine, as he was sent in all alone by Kocon. Seeing that the overmatched Legal goaltender had left an opening on the short side, Paul fired a slow burner along the ice that hit the open corner. 

Up 5-1, Jasper allowed Legal to apply more effective pressure, but refused to let them back in the game. Matt Dolny turned in a particularly solid performance on defense, rarely losing a race to the puck and always making an effective clearing pass when it seemed that the Eagles were coming on. The final moments of the game turned somewhat rough, with several hard checks being thrown and one Legal player hooking Schapansky around the neck when the Jasper player broke into the offensive zone at top speed.

Hopefully the Eagles will come to play in front of their home crowd this weekend, and Bearcats manager John Ward is inviting any parents or fans to come along for the trip to help cheer Jasper on.