You can play very well in many sports and still not come out on top as the Northeast Panthers have discovered.
“That was the best game we ever lost,” said Northeast Panthers Midget AA head coach Mike Pasichnuk.
The Panthers played game two of their provincial series against Fort Saskatchewan Feb. 13 and lost by a score of 6-3. Fortunately for the Panthers, they had won game one by a score of 6-2.
With total goals determining who continues on to round two, it was the Panthers who came out ahead by one goal to move on.
Getting the game to 6-3 was a huge challenge for the Panthers.
Game two, which was played in Fort Saskatchewan, was tough for the Panthers defence early on, going down 6-0 after two periods.
But with eight minutes left the Panthers rallied and netted three crucial goals.
“We came back hard,” said Pasichnuk.
The Panthers poured it on, outshooting Fort Saskatchewan 53-27.
“We were all over them,” he added.
And with two minutes left in the game, the Panthers goaltending and defence were able to hold on.
With the series win, the Panthers now move on to face Fort McMurray in another two-game set, most total goals wins.
The dates for the games have not yet been finalized.
The Panthers traveled to Fort McMurray for two games this coming weekend — not provincial games, rather to finish up the regular season.
The Panthers are still fighting to clinch first place in the east division. They trailed Strathcona by one point heading into the weekend, with both teams having two games remaining.
There will be a Panthers update on their weekend games on the Nouvelle's website Tuesday morning.
