There are a few things everyone should know about Bantam playoffs. The format is total goals over two games; teams come from far and wide and if, in the opening game, you defeat a team by 10 goals or more, the return trip is no longer necessary.
Hence, the usual restraint that coaches and players exercise when badly outplaying an opponent. The fact that there are a lot of teenagers involved who react either enthusiastically or with distain, depending upon what side of the “run-up-the-score-ledger” they are on, adds an additional dynamic to the game.
Leading the bottom half of the Sturgeon-Pembina standings at the end of the regular season had the Jasper Bantam Bearcats hosting the Thunder from Slave Lake—first round victors over Edson—last Sunday. With a five-hour drive behind them, the Thunder was clearly road weary. On the other bench, and hoping to avoid that very same trip next weekend, the Bearcats were unambiguously single-minded.
And nothing says single-mindedness like 10 goals in 20 minutes. Just 17 seconds into the contest, Jasper’s Cooper Hilworth perfectly set up Brendan Auger for the game’s first goal. In the ensuing 19 minutes and 43 seconds, Auger would score once more, Hilworth would net a hattrick, while teammate Bennett Paltzat would get two of his own and Hunter Zenner would put up a singleton for Jasper’s eight goals. Only two markers for Slave Lake eluded Jasper’s goaltender, Severin Golla.
Perhaps winded from the first period’s exertions, Auger took all of 94 seconds into the second period to score his first goal, again a perfect setup from Hilworth. It took him only 17 more seconds to net his second in the period and fourth goal for the game.
Slave Lake got one back but then Jasper put the hammer down. Hilworth scored his fourth and blueliner Drew Tank blasted in a high slapper from the point, followed by Zenner’s second, Hilworth’s fifth and, not to be left out of the action, Rhys Malcolm’s first—a backhander top shelf from in tight.
A late second period powerplay opportunity gave Slave Lake its fourth goal of the game, but this was negated in the dying seconds of the period when Matthew Park planted the puck top-shelf, picking up his own rebound. To add this all up, I had to take off my shoes and socks, but at the end of 40 minutes, the game stood Jasper 17, Slave Lake 4.
All of the second period goal-scoring resulted, not unexpectedly, in emotions getting the better of both teams on the ice. With the parade to the penalty box unlikely to temper these kids’ responses to the scoreboard, the third period was shaping up to be edgy.
But clearly the coaches, led on the Jasper side by Gary Hilworth, did what is asked of them in the dressing room. Outside of some minor infractions in the course of the play, the third period’s only event was another powerplay goal by the Thunder, about four minutes in.
The game ended 17–5 in favour of the Jasper Bearcats, negating the return trip to Slave Lake and propelling Jasper into the final against the Wabasca Royals.
At press time, this game had yet to be scheduled, but you can check the arena in the coming week for that information.
It should be an interesting finale to the season for the Bantam Bearcats, so I hope to see you in the stands.
John Wilmshurst
Special to the Fitzhugh
