John Wilmshurst | Special to the Fitzhugh
The hockey interview can be treacherous territory.
They can oscillate from barely audible grunts to seeming endless droning of 110 per cent, getting pucks deep and one game at a time.
But the Jasper Bantam Bearcats are an erudite bunch, so it was with fulfilled expectations that I sat down with some players to get insights into the hockey player’s mind.
Near the end of last Saturday’s game against the Devon Barons, Jacob Bouchard raced after a puck heading towards his empty net, dove and slashed it from the goal line to keep Jasper’s hopes alive for a last-minute tie.
Jacob, the coach’s kid, is a hard-hitting defenseman who is known for his precise gap-control and custom stick with a bad tape job, made that play with his Bearcats one goal down in a contest that, on paper, Jasper should dominate.
But down a couple of key skaters, road legs and coming off a long layoff did not serve our kids well against a team with a hot goalie and something to prove.
The Bearcats had a promising first three minutes, pinning the Barons in their zone for the opening couple of shifts before the cracks started to show.
When the Devon bounceback started, it was up to Bearcats’ netminder Donovan Fawcett to step up and make a couple of clutch, flipper saves and keep the game tied at zero.
Halfway through the period, with Jasper floundering, Jacob’s dad called a timeout to try and correct the course.
This didn’t work and the Barons were up a goal heading into the first intermission.
Which wasn’t an intermission at all, because Devon floods only every 40 minutes, so both teams were right back at it.
This didn’t give Bouchard time to adjust his shin pads, taped tightly under his socks, nor catch his breath before the action started again.
Usually lethal, Jasper’s powerplay was unable to take advantage of an early second period unsportsmanlike conduct for snowing Donny in the net.
Instead, Devon scored shorthanded, springing their best forward who made no mistake all alone on a breakaway.
The Barons would get a third goal before the game’s first flood, 40 minutes in creating a deep hole for Jasper to climb out of in the third.
And in that third period, Jasper’s stars came out to shine.
Forward Liam Crozier, centering Rowan Koss and Kalan Sawchuk was relentless in the faceoff circle and the forecheck, giving Jasper’s second line, centred by Sebastian Golla with Owen Kearnan and Ty Crozier on the wings great offensive opportunities.
Golla got Jasper on the board early in the third, burying a rebound from a Kearnan one-timer. Devon got that one back on a tipped shot that evaded Donovan’s glove hand, but then on the power play, Bouchard’s defensive partner, Michael Hayashi executed a perfect pinch and scored on a centering pass from Ty.
Now within two goals and plenty of time on the clock, the Bearcats turned up the heat.
But the Devon netminder robbed both Golla and Kearnan on a couple of clear scoring chances, and generally stood on his head to keep his team on top as the clock ticked away.
With about a minute thirty to play, Jasper pulled Donny from the Jasper net and the Bearcats went to work.
Both Bearcat blueline Jacobs, Bouchard and Bartziokas were sending bombs in from the point, but without success.
With a minute-eight to play, Kernan, who was snake-bitten all game, drew Jasper to within one, scoring on a top cheeze backhander as he cut through the slot.
Enter Bouchard’s goal-saving dive for the puck with 25 seconds to play and one final rush for the Jasper snipers.
But time is relentless and cruel, and the buzzer sounded before the Bearcats could equalize. Final score, Devon 4, Jasper 3.
Want to catch the rematch?
Devon will be in Jasper, this Saturday at 9 a.m. to take on Jacob Bouchard and his Bearcat teammates for the second time in a week.
I’ll see you in the stands.
