The St. Paul Bengals hit the road on Oct. 25 for some playoff football action in Cold Lake.
The team was in fourth place heading into the playoffs, while Cold Lake finished first, marking the Bengals as the underdogs in the matchup. Even so, the team from St. Paul came out of the gates swinging.
“Cold Lake got the ball first. We had them on a second and 18, and they threw a deep pass that went for a touchdown,” said head coach Todd Tanasichuk. “Right away we were down 7-0, and I was wondering how we would respond, after losing badly to them the first time.”
Respond they did, as the Bengals later put together a touchdown drive of their own.
“In the beginning of the second quarter we drove the length of the field. We had implemented some new offensive stuff, and it was definitely keeping them off balance,” Tanasichuk said.
On the ensuing two point try, however, Bengals player Christian Laramee was tackled short of the goal line. To make matters worse, the officials ruled that Laramee had suffered a concussion on the play, and wouldn’t be allowed back into the game until he was examined.
“As soon as that happened, they drove the length of the field to score. We were very deflated,” Tanasichuk said. “To our boys’ credit, we got our composure back. It was 13-6, and there was a minute left in the first half, and we were driving.”
That drive, however, would ultimately end with a Cold Lake interception for a touchdown.
“I called a play that I wish I hadn’t,” Tanasichuk said.
The score was 19-6 at the half, and Cold Lake scored again in the third to make it 25-6. But, the Bengals kept fighting, and they were able to put together another successful drive that was halted at the one-yard line. They ultimately turned the ball over on downs, giving possession back to the home team, who soon scored.
The Bengals managed one more touchdown on the day, complete with a two point conversion, to make the final score 31-14 for Cold Lake. The loss marked the end of the season for the Bengals.
“I was very proud of our kids. They came to play. They played with the heart I asked them to play with, and with pride,” Tanasichuk said. “It was a good way to end the season for us. We started off so inexperienced.”
Tanasichuk was happy with the way his team was able to improve over the course of the season.
“I believe we were highly successful. The league was a good strong league this year,” he said.
About 13 Bengals will graduate from the team, with hopes of playing for the Lions next season. That means that the Bengals will have about 25 returning players, a group that, according to Tanasichuk, should prove to be much more experienced.
Tanasichuk, for his part, enjoyed his experience in his first, and perhaps only, season as the Bengals’ head coach.
“I found it very rewarding. I wondered about how I’d be able to deal with the maturity level of these boys, and they were great,” he said. “For a group of young teenage boys, I had no complaints with what they brought to the table. I was very proud to be their coach.”
It is expected that coach Tanasichuk will be back up with the Lions for the 2015 campaign.
