For the first time in their ACAC history the Portage College Voyageurs will not be involved in the post-season play. What was hoping to be a break-through season for the men’s hockey program turned into a disappointing year with the team unable to overcome a variety of setbacks and adversity.
Ooks - 2 at Voyageurs – 2, Friday, Feb. 17th
This was a very important weekend for the Voyageurs as their playoff hopes were depending on a successful two games. The team would be without the services of Matt Gray (back and neck injury), Lukas Vepy (dislocated shoulder) and Codie Pedersen nursing a knee injury, although he would play. The club would only be using five defensemen as well and going with four forward lines. Game one at the Fleming Cat Arena saw the teams skate to a 2-2 tie giving the Voyageurs a very important point in the race for the last playoff spot. It was the strong goaltending of Kyle Birch that kept the Voyageurs in this game. In the first period he faced 16 shots alone with many of the shots being of the difficult variety as the Voyageurs were outshot 16-8. The Voyageurs looked nervous and tentative as the first period unfolded and things didn’t change much as the period came to an end. The Nait Ooks, although not a physical team, used their size and skill to create numerous scoring opportunities. However, starting goaltender, Birch was equal to the task.
The second period couldn’t come soon enough as the team needed to regroup, relax and prepare for a better period. The team needed to be better in their end of the ice as the Ooks were dominating with puck procession in the Voyageur’s defensive end. The Voyageurs were still out-shot 12-6 but they had created some excellent scoring chances of their own. When a player is giving his team a 110% effort it’s much easier for the coaches to forgive him when he makes a glaring mistake. However, when you don’t compete and work hard at the level you need to be at, in the ACAC, it’s harder for coaches to forgive and forget. The second period ended 0-0 with the Voyageur team’s confidence improving. Their skating was much better using their greatest asset, their speed, to create scoring opportunities.
The third period saw the Voyageurs score the first goal of the game at the 7:43 mark. Centerman Jory Geddes was playing in his first game since having a concussion keep him out of the line-up for three games. He had received a pass from Codie Pedersen and skated alone into the Nait’s slot area where he fired a quick backhand shot that sailed under the arm of the Ooks goaltender and into the back of the net. It was Geddes eleventh goal and twenty-sixth point of the season. Then with nine minutes left in the third period Troy Watt scored his third goal of the season off a face-off deep in the Nait’s end. Watt released a quick wrist shot from the left side at a bad angle that went high over the out-reached arm of the surprised Nait goaltender to give the Voyageurs a 2-0 lead. The only assist on the play went to center Richard Cameron as he had won the faceoff on the scoring play. However, the 2-0 lead was short lived as Nait came back to score and make it a 2-1 game. Voyageur’s goaltender Birch had no chance on the play as the puck was passed from the side boards to a driving Ook’s player who had skated in all alone tapping the puck into a wide open net. Then with 18:27 and on the powerplay Nait scored to tie the game. The lucky goal was scored on a point shot from an Ook’s defenseman that had accidently deflected into the Voyageur’s net off a Voyageur’s stick. The Voyageurs out-shot Nait in the period 10-9 in the period. In the three periods Nait went 1-6 on their powerplay and the Voyageurs went 0-3. It was a relatively tame game as there were only seven minors called in the game.
In the overtime the Voyageurs took a penalty that they managed to kill off thus preserving the 2-2 tie. A win would have gone a long ways in helping to secure the last playoff spot but the tie felt like a win to everyone. When you don’t score goals, when you have a good scoring chance, it puts a lot of pressure on your goaltender and the defensive corps to play a perfect game. Being the second lowest scoring team in the ACAC added additional pressures of losing five key defensemen after the Christmas break. Although we were able to add excellent forwards like Brendan Couto, Troy Watt and Codie Pedersen the lack of defensive help became the team’s Achilles heel.
“ACAC Player of the Game” for the Voyageurs was without a doubt, goaltender Kyle Birch.
Ooks - 2 at Voyageurs – 2, Friday, Feb. 17th
The trip to Edmonton was a quiet trip as the players all realized the task at hand. MacEwan Griffins had won both of their games at Briercrest which meant that the Griffins were one point up on the Voyageurs for the last playoff spot in the ACAC men’s hockey league. Tonight, nothing but a win at Nait would get the Voyageurs into the playoffs as a tie game would tie the Griffins and Voyageurs with 18 points but the first tie breaker is total wins and the MacEwan Griffins had the edge having 8 wins to the Voyageurs 6 wins. The Voyageurs, in four years, have never won a game at Nait so if there was ever a time to end that streak, tonight would be the time.
However, the Voyageurs were out of this game from the drop of the puck. Nait scored 00:17 seconds into the game, then again at 3:56 to take an early 2-0 lead. They added to their lead at the 10:20 mark to make it 3-0 but on a Voyageur’s powerplay, Brendan Couto scored his third goal in six games to bring the Voyageurs within two goals. Assists on the goal went to Giroux and Wilson. The Voyageurs were outshot 18-6 but went 1-3 on their powerplay while Nait went 1-1.
The second period wasn’t much better as the Voyageurs allowed the Nait Ooks to score 00:32 seconds into the period to take a comfortable 4-1 lead. Mid-way through the second period the Ooks had increased their lead to 6-1. Before the end of the period the Voyageurs were able to add one more goal as captain Dustin Popowich walked in on a two-on-one break and rifled a wrist shot past the Nait goaltender. It was Popowich’ s fourth goal of the season with the only assist going to Cory Giroux. After the fifth goal was scored by Nait the Voyageur’s starting goaltender this season, Kyle Birch was replaced by backup goaltender Jordan Washburn. Nobody could fault Birch on the goals as he’d done everything he could in these two games and played very well, giving his team a chance to win; you couldn’t ask for any more than that. The Voyageurs were out-shot 17-11 and down 6-2.
In the third period the Voyageurs scored first as at 2:28 Richard Cameron scored his second goal of the year to make the score 6-3. The assists went to defenseman Kris Steedsman and right winger Gabe Gardipy. Another goal by the Voyageurs could make the game more interesting and although the team missed two glorious opportunities to close the gap it wasn’t meant to be. Nait would add two more goals to finish the night off with an 8-3 win. Nait outshot the Voyageurs 11-8 in the period and 46-25 over the game. Nait went 2-4 on their powerplay and the Voyageurs went 1-4.
In his last game as a Voyageur Kris Steedsman was awarded the “ACAC Player of the Game” for the Voyageurs. As the most physical Voyageur player in this game he had some bone-crushing hits while adding an assist on Cameron’s goal. Making the playoffs for the fourth straight year wasn’t in the cards. A very disappointed group of young men must now decide on their own future. Who is returning for another year and who is moving on? One thing is for sure that there will be at twelve to fifteen new faces in the Voyageurs dressing room next fall and that’s exciting for the college and the community of Lac La Biche.
This year’s players would like to thank Portage College and all their fans for their support as all the players enjoyed playing in Lac La Biche and being a part of their community.
