Carberry and Killarney advance to THHL final
- Details
- Published on Thursday, March 17, 2016
By Eoin Devereux
Neepawa Banner/Neepawa Press
The matchup has been set for the finals of the Tiger Hills Hockey League. The Carberry Plainsmen were able to overcome the Minnedosa Bombers, winning the best of five east division final three games to one. Meanwhile, in the western division, the Killarney Shamrocks outlasted the Souris Elks three games to two.
The series between Carberry and Minnedosa proved to be a true battle. In the first game, on Mar. 4, the Bombers were able to claim a 5-2 win over the Plainsmen. Neither team was able to gain the early advantage, as the entire first period and just over half of the second remained scoreless. Things opened up late in the middle frame however, with Minnedosa scoring three times and Carberry answering back with two of its own.
Travis Erickson, Mark Willis and Wyatt Rapsky scored for the visiting Minnedosa Bombers, while Devon Leblanc earned both goals for the home side.
In the third period, the Bombers were finally able to seal the victory, as Derek Cameron scored with just under eight minutes left in regulation. An empty netter by Russel Huyghe ensured the game one win for Minnedosa, by a 5-2 margin.
Game two shifted to Minnedosa, where once again it would be the visitors who came away with the win, as Carberry won a 5-4 overtime thriller. The game turned into a real back and forth contest, as in the first, Carberry scored a pair of early goals. Minnedosa would reply with two of its own near the end of the opening frame.
In the second, the Plainsmen once again started strong and notched a pair of quick ones to retake the lead. The Bombers cut into the lead, scoring with just eight seconds remaining in the period, to make it 4-3.
In the third, the home side put constant pressure on Carberry, hoping to get the tying goal. That effort eventually paid off with Wes Lewis potting the equalizer and second goal of the night, with just 40 seconds left in the game. That would lead to overtime. During extra time, Carberry’s Devon Leblanc scored his second of the evening to tie the series at one game each. Other goal scorers for the Plainsmen were Dustin Fisher with a pair and Mike Reykdal. Minnedosa meanwhile, replied with the pair from Lewis and singles from Bryce Stephenson and Mark Willis.
For game three on Friday, Mar. 11, Devon Leblanc of the Plainsmen proved to be the hero of the night, as he notched a hat trick and added an assist to lead Carberry to the 4-3 decision. Travis Mealy scored the other goal for Carberry, while Dan Moran, Michael Birth and Shane Jury scored for the Bombers.
In the fourth and ultimately final game of the series, Carberry was finally able to put in a more dominant effort, finishing off Minnedosa with a 7-4 victory. Leblanc, once again controlled the game, with a pair of goals and three assists.
In the western division, the Killarney Shamrocks were able to hold off a surging Souris Elks club and win the series in a full five games. Each game was close with several games decided by a single goal, including one which went into overtime.
With the participants set for the Tiger Hills Hockey League final, the schedule has also been announced. Game one will take place on Saturday, Mar. 19 in Carberry at the Community Centre. The start time is set for 8:00 pm. Game two will occur the following evening, on Mar. 20 in Killarney at the Shamrock Centre starting at 6:00 pm. Then on Mar. 25, both teams return to Carberry for game three. If necessary, games four and five will take place on Mar. 26 and 28 respectively in Killarney and Carberry. The start time for both games is 8:00 pm.
