Honkings from the Wild Goose: Outlaws, Mohawks push forward
Playoff battles heat up as Outlaws, Mohawks push forward
By Phil Heilman
Sask West
The Wilkie Outlaws and Edam 3 Stars kicked off the SWHL Finals Wednesday night in Wilkie, with the Outlaws coming away with a 6-3 win.
Blake Young scored the only goal of the first, but it was a different story in the middle frame. Brayden Buziak tied it up at one, but Owen Lamb gave Wilkie the lead just 16 seconds later. Just 53 seconds after that, Owen LaClare tied it up again at 2. Rory Gregoire, on the power play, gave the Outlaws a 3-2 lead after 40 minutes. Damon Schaefer would tie it up at 3 early in the third, but the last 10 minutes were all Outlaws as Blake Young, Rick Cey and Ryne Keller all helped secure the win.
Taryn Kotchorek stopped 30 of 36 shots in the loss, while Joel Gryzbowski stopped 30 of 33 shots in the win.
In Game 2 Friday night in Edam, the 3 Stars bruised their way to a 4-1 win. The series is tied at 1.
Cody Roy opened the scoring, but Kendall Fransoo and Mitch Wall replied for a 2-1 home team lead after 20 minutes. Jordan Fransoo added his first of the playoffs in the second, and Owen LaClare added a goal in the third.
Joel Gryzbowski stopped 41 of 45 shots in the loss, while Taryn Kotchorek stopped 27 of 28 shots in the win.
In provincials, the Wilkie Outlaws headed south for the ‘B’ final matchup against the Balcarres Broncs of the Qu’Appelle Valley Highway Hockey League on Sunday afternoon. Balcarres pulled out a thrilling 3-2 double-overtime win.
In the Senior ‘D’ North Final, the Macklin Mohawks headed north for their Game 2 matchup against the Hague Royals of the Twin Rivers Hockey League. The Royals took Game 2 with a 7-5 win, forcing a Game 3 back in Macklin Sunday evening. Macklin pulled it out with a 2-1 overtime win. The Mohawks now face the Milestone Flyers of the Notekeu Hockey League.
Cross Roads
In Game 2 of the CRHL finals, the Dodsland Stars came out on top of the Rosetown Redwings 3-1, tying the series at 1.
Jared Jagow gave the Redwings a 1-0 lead late in the first period, but Mitch Bradley replied just 13 seconds into the second. T.J. Greschner gave the Stars a 2-1 lead, and Carson Dobson sealed the win with an empty-net goal.
Noah Martens stopped 48 of 50 shots in the loss, while Conner Kidd stopped 23 of 24 shots in the win.
In the Senior ‘C’ provincial final, the Rosetown Redwings are matched up against the Shaunavon Badgers of the White Mud Hockey League, with Game 1 in Shaunavon on Saturday night. The Badgers won 6-0.
History Lesson
Let’s take a look at the 1977-78 Wild Goose season, featuring the Wilkie Outlaws, Rosetown Red Wings, Kindersley Klippers (or was it the Kapitals?), Biggar Nationals, Eston Ramblers and Elrose Aces.
Despite just six teams, the league played an incredible 31-game schedule, with the Outlaws finishing on top with 44 points, followed by Kindersley and Rosetown with 39. From the end of the regular season into mid-March, it appears there was only a final between the Outlaws and Kindersley in a best-of-five series.
Kindersley won the opener, but Wilkie took the next three, capturing their first-ever WGHL title.