Bantam Chiefs compete at provincials
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- Published on Monday, February 26, 2018
Yellowhead Chiefs weekend report
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner & Press
The Yellowhead Bantam Chiefs put in a strong effort at the Rural Provincial Championship, recently held in Killarney. The Chiefs made it all the way to the bronze medal game, where they were narrowly defeated, by a 3-2 score. Mitchell Collyer of Onanole and Foxwarren’s Colby Wotton scored for the Chiefs in that game.
During the round robin portion of the tournament, Yellowhead defeated Pembina Valley, Parkland and Interlake. In the semi-final showdown, the Chiefs squared off against a determined Eastman Selects squad, and fell 8-2.
As for the championship game, the Southwest Cougars beat Eastman 5-3 to win the provincial crown.
Female Bantams ready for Provincials
The Female Bantam Chiefs are eagerly awaiting the start of the AAA Female Provincials, taking place in Oakbank/Garson from Mar. 2-4. The Round robin portion of the event will see the Chiefs face-off against Interlake,Westman and Central Plains.
Midget Chiefs close out regular season
A pair of road games over the weekend wrapped up the regular season for the Chiefs AAA Midget Boys squad. The team started things off with an 8-3 loss to the Winnipeg Wild on Saturday, Feb. 24. Colby Joseph of Elkhart and Bray Rookes of Manson each scored early for the Chiefs, while Neepawa’s Braden Gillies put away an unassisted short-hander marker late in the third. Gillies also had an assist earlier in the night, on the Rookes goal, to lead the way for Yellowhead on the stat-sheet.
The Chiefs would bounce back the following night, with a 5-1 victory over the Interlake Lightning. After giving up the first goal of the game, Yellowhead answered back with five straight to secure the win. Birtle’s Brody Wilson scored twice, while Chad Nychuk (Rossburn), Brian Mentuck (Waywayseecappo) and AP Parker Johnson all contributed singles for the win. Jeremy Dutcawich of Foxwarren made 29 saves to earn the victory, his 22nd of the season.
With this win, Yellowhead ends the regular season with a record of 26-20-2, good enough for 54 points and sixth place in the standings. Next up for the Chiefs is a first round playoff matchup with the Winnipeg Bruins in a best-of-five series. Game one will be in Winnipeg on Friday, Mar. 2. Game two will be in Shoal Lake on Sunday, Mar. 4. The start time is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Shoal Lake Communiplex.
Quesnel commits
Another member of the Yellowhead Female Midget Chiefs has committed to a post-secondary program. Forward Megan Quesnel will play with the Olds College Broncos in the 2018-2019 school year. The Dauphin native, is now the third Yellowhead player that will join the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference school for next season, joining goaltender Tori Eilers of Virden and defenceman Rayna Bonchuk of Birtle. This past season, Quesnel had 14 goals and 10 assists in 30 regular-season games.
