John Wilmshurst | special to the Fitzhugh
Intensity: The state or quality of being intense.
Hockey is all about intensity. Particularly after the kids have been playing the game for a decade, most of the fundamentals have sunk in. They can all skate, they know their positions, they know the rules. The success differential can be all about intensity. But during tiering, where sometimes matchups can be lopsided, maintaining intensity throughout the game can be a challenge. And particularly for Jasper’s bantam team this year, where the anxiety is high because most of the skaters are facing body checking for the first time, the intensity can take wild turns. Last weekend, the Bearcats played a pair of games, on the road against Stony Plain and at home against Hinton, and intensity was the story.
The Stony Plain Predators could not match the intensity of our Bearcats. Jasper was all over them and were it not for their goaltender tracking the pick well, the game would have been over in the first five minutes. And in a way, it was. Camas D’Antonio got Jasper on the board first, redirecting a point shot from Aidan Deagle five minutes in, in what would prove to be the game winning goal. Add markers from Nash Hilworth, Liam Crozier and a pair from Lucas Oeggerli and Jasper has a five nothing lead after 40 minutes.
First half netminder, Donovan Fawcett played a period and a half of shutout hockey, giving way to Avery Thomas who was also solid. But they didn’t have a lot of work, with the Predators only managing 15 shots for the game and very little zone time. The spectators could see the intensity waning in the second half of the game. After 60 minutes, Jasper walked away with an almost effortless 5 – 1 victory.
It can be hard to bounce back from victories like that. Hinton were touted to be far more closely matched than Stony. Add on the local rivalry, and the Bearcats were going to need 60 minutes of intense play to prevail.
They got off to a great start, applying early pressure on Hinton and testing their goaltender. Five minutes in once again, Jasper jumped out in front as a low point blast from Owen Kearnan found its way to the back of the net. The intensity on both sides was high, and this was by far the most physical game that the Bearcats have played this year. This worked in Jasper’s favor as Hinton got into penalty trouble, gifting Jasper a one-minute, 20 second five on three powerplay to start the second period and a chance to build on their one-goal lead.
Jasper took advantage as Baden Koss buried as the man advantage wound down to give the Bearcats a two-goal lead. Mid-way through the second, Lucas Oeggerli picked up a rebound at the side of the net and slid it 5-hole to give Jasper a three-goal cushion. But then Jasper’s intensity waned. Whether it was the kids coasting on their lead or the ramped up physical play of Hinton, Jasper stopped skating in the last half of the second period and Hinton was beginning to push their advantage.
Right off the opening faceoff in the third, Hinton charged down the ice and scored. Thirty seconds later, they had a second goal and were just one back of tying it up. Back on their heels, Jasper could not regain their composure and Hinton pressed. Hinton tied it with a hot shot from the slot with nine minutes to play. The intensity shift in the building was palpable.
Through juggling some line combinations, Jasper was able to pick it up in the final nine minutes of play. But they got into some penalty trouble and couldn’t regain their lead. At the final buzzer the score was knotted at three. Not a terrible outcome, but not what the kids and coaches wanted to be sure.
The Bearcats let this one slip away. But, this coming Sunday they will face Edson, who are undefeated in the pre-season 6 – 2 victors over Hinton in the opening weekend of tiering. The Bearcats will have to work on their intensity if they want to be able to compete. The game against Edson is at 3:45 this Sunday and these kids could use your support.I hope to see you in the stands.
