Memorable win for Chiefs on Remembrance Day
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- Published on Thursday, November 19, 2015
Submitted article.
The Neepawa Banner
An afternoon game on Remembrance Day with the Westman Wildcats has become an annual event for the Yellowhead Chiefs and this year’s edition was one to be remembered.
With a nice crowd of fans on hand, both teams honoured our military veterans and those who sacrificed all for our country with a moment of silence before dropping the puck on the first game of the season between the two rivals.
As for the game itself, the Chiefs started very strong, controlling the first half of the first period, not allowing Westman a shot on goal until the 10 minute mark while opening the scoring on an early power play. On the other side of the puck, the Chiefs capitalized on a Wildcats penalty as Karli Frederick exchanged a couple of passes with McKenna Paddock before the veteran defenceman fired a shot through traffic that Cass Lyttle was there to deflect into the goal. The hosts carried this strong play but seemed to lose some jump near the end of the period as two penalties against led to two Wildcats goals, the second with only 10 seconds remaining in the period.
Having outplayed their opponents in the first and finding themselves down 2-1, the Chiefs started the second period on their heels and stayed there for a good portion of the period. A third Wildcat goal five minutes into the second led the coaches to try and shake the team up with a goalie switch, with Emma Greenwood coming off the bench. Yellowhead slowly built momentum in the tight checking game until, with under two minutes to play in the period, hard work by Karissa Cullum popped a puck loose at the blue line that Mckenna Paddock carried into the slot. A stick check moved the puck to Jena Barscello and the rookie made a nice move and lifted a back hand shot at the goal, where Paddock was there to bang home the rebound.
The third period had the Chiefs battling through the Wildcats neutral zone defence and shot blocking to get the tying goal. Yellowhead was forced to kill off two penalties and found themselves still down by one with under two minutes to go. A break in the play allowed coach Derek Tibbatts to get the goalie out of the net and provide a plan to the six players on the ice to get that goal. After gaining possession of the puck in the Westman zone, the Chiefs worked the puck around with Hannah Fouillard and Jalyn Elmes moving the puck along the wall. The Chiefs captain picked her spot and fired a shot through the traffic that was deflected and hit the post, with Emma Coulter battling in front providing the screen, along with Sam Geekie, who calmly found the loose puck and lifted a back hand past the sprawled goaltender into the goal.
The teams headed to the five minute four-on-four overtime, with the hosts carrying the play, generating some chances to end the game without success. The game went on to the shoot out. McKenna Paddock finished off a great night as she scored on her chance, with some nifty stick handling. The Wildcats tied it as their top offensive player Ashton Bell scored. Rookie Morgan Ramsay went next and made all the right moves only to have the puck ring off the post. Emma Greenwood stopped the next two Wildcats shooters, setting the stage for Tatum Amy, who calmly wristed a shot over the goalie’s glove to win the game.
With the win, the Chiefs remain undefeated in league play. Yellowhead’s next home action will be against the Winnipeg Avros on Saturday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 29.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs also wish to congratulate Team Manitoba for bringing the silver medal home from U-18 Girls Nationals after a thrilling close 2-1 overtime loss to Team Ontario Red in the final in Huntsville, Ontario. Special congratulations are also extended to our own Jalyn Elmes and Hannah Fouillard for their contributions to Team Manitoba and representing the Chiefs family so well.
