Before Friday’s “home” game in Hinton, I asked some of the kids on the Jasper Atom Bears team: “if you were a car, what kind of car would you be?”
I heard only two answers: a Mustang and a Bugatti. Some had no idea. Some were briefly Lamborghinis, but then changed their minds. Bugattis were better.
These sports car kids then went on to play three games over three days, two in Hinton and one in Edson, all against their two Edson rivals, with whom they’ve recently had mixed success.
And if I were looking purely at the scoresheet, I would say the wheels came off over the weekend.
The Bears lost all three games, although they were in each game at the mid-way point. But like a sports car whose sum is greater than its moving parts, there is more to the story than the scoresheet tells.
Game one last Friday started off like so many Atom games. Jasper got behind by three goals early and then started to speed up. They were firing on all cylinders for a while, with each of the three forward lines scoring and goaltender Kelan Polard playing strong.
It started with Sebastian Golla picking up a sweet pass from blueliner Conner Wright and burying top shelf. Dylan Dekker got the second, and Lucas Oeggerli, who was in high gear all weekend, followed up. Golla scored again, centring the puck to high octane Baden Koss who watched the puck pinball into the net.
With five minutes to play in the second, it was 5–4 for Edson, and Jasper had the pedal down. But then Edson scored twice in a seven second span with time running out in the second, and the Bears just ran out of gas.
The final score was 8–5 in favour of Edson.
Game two on Saturday was an early start in Edson, and uncharacteristically, after 20 minutes, Jasper was tied at one with the second Edson team. That goal came off another marker from Oeggerli, who was grinding in front of the net.
Lucas Prud’Homme was playing his first game between the pipes for the Bears and was outstanding. It took until seven minutes into the second for Edson to get their second goal, but then they kicked into high gear, scoring five more before the checkered flag.
Jasper scored one more from Golla, but this game was a bit flat for the Bears. Nevertheless, Adrian Torres and Josh Howe were standouts for their tenacious, gritty play and never-give-up attitudes. Not to mention Josh Lee who played a strong game, getting moved from forward to defense in an attempt to put the brakes on the Edson forwards.
Game three on Sunday was another “home” game for Jasper played in Hinton against the Edson team they played the day before.
Owen Kearnan and Jacob Bartziokas were solid on defense, but added horsepower to the offence when needed. And it was needed.
The score was tied at zero after 20 minutes thanks to that strong defense and to another eight-cylinder performance from Polard between the pipes.
Camas D’Antonio and Aidan Deagle almost got Jasper on the board, forcing the Edson netminder to come up big a couple of times, but Edson was able to solve Polard about halfway through the second, and when Jasper was unable to capitalize on a string of Edson penalties, the air came rushing out of the Bears’ tires.
“Daytona” Dana Angebrandt tried to fire the Bears up, with a rush that would have gotten Jasper on the board if it hadn’t been for a strong glove save from the Edson keeper. And that would be the story of the day.
Ultimately, Edson would put the car in the garage a total of five times, while the Bears never got the parking brake off.
But again, to leave it there would be unfair.
Bears’ winger Liam Crozier made a few timely breakout passes that gave Jasper some turbo, and blueliner Justin McIsaac is getting his solid frame into the play, all in the effort to get, keep and move the puck. Not a Bugatti yet, but getting there.
Playoffs start next week for the Atom Bears, but these roadsters are clearly getting road weary.
We will all be grateful when we can get back behind the wheel on home ice.
John Wilmshurst
Special to the Fitzhugh
