Yorkton and area鈥檚 two female hockey teams both moved one step closer to a playoff championship recently, as both the Parkland Lions (SSFHL Midget 鈥楢A鈥�) and Yorkton Gardon Crushers (SSFHL Bantam 鈥楢鈥�) wrapped up first round sweeps with 3-2 and 5-0 wins respectively.
The Parkland Lions carried a 1-0 series lead into Moose Jaw last Friday night thanks to a convincing 5-1 win on home ice in Churchbridge, but if they thought things would be as easy Friday night as they were in Game One then they were sorely mistaken, as the Mavericks came out strong looking to tie the series.
Myra Szabo put Moose Jaw on the board midway through the middle period with a shot that eluded Lion net minder Taylor Nagy to put the host side up 1-0.
The lead would last for just over three minutes as Delaney Aisaican pulled the Lions back even with her first of the playoffs, snapping the puck past Caitlyn Bilan to make it a 1-1 game.
A late Moose Jaw goal by Cassidy Murphy gave the Mavericks their second lead of the opening period and looked to send the home side into the first intermission with a lead, but just 20 seconds later and the game was all tied up as Sidney Shyiak scored her first playoff goal to even the game at two.
A scoreless middle frame saw both Nagy and Bilan stand tall and give their respective teams a chance to win the game; a chance that the Lions took full advantage of when, with just 1:12 left in regulation time, they took their first lead on a Jenna Bryksa goal that sent the Parkland bench into fits of joy while at the same time destroying the hopes of the Maverick bench.
The Mavericks tried their best to tie the game in the final 72 seconds but could not find a way to put the puck past Nagy for the third time on the night as the Parkland Lions picked up their first midget 鈥楢A鈥� playoff series victory, sweeping the seventh seeded Moose Jaw Mavericks two-games-to-none.
Jordan Holinaty led the Lions in the first round with one goal and three assists for four points while defenceman Chace Sperling had a goal and two assists to lead all Lion blueliners with three points.
Nagy picked up both the wins between the Parkland pipes to send the Lions to the SSFHL Midget 鈥楢A鈥� semi-finals against the third seeded Swift Current Titans. The Lions were 0-1-3 against the Titans in the regular season, scoring five goals while surrendering six in what was a very even regular season series. Game One of that series will take place Saturday, March 5 in Churchbridge. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00pm.
Meanwhile the Yorkton Gardon Crushers finished the SSFHL Bantam 鈥楢鈥� division in second place in their first-ever hockey season and skated to a 7-1 Game One win over Weyburn Olympia Fitness in Theodore.
Game Two saw much the same result, as the Gardon Crushers had little trouble with Weyburn, blanking Olympia Fitness 5-0 in Game Two to advance to the SSFHL Bantam 鈥楢鈥� semi-finals thanks to a two-games-to-none series victory.
The Crushers will now face the third ranked Regina Cougars in the semi-finals.
The two teams had identical 1-1-1 records against one another throughout the regular season with the Cougars taking the first game 5-4 on a last minute goal, while the Crushers won the second meeting 5-1 before a 3-3 tie in their final regular season meeting. Game One has not been scheduled.
