The Saddle Lake Warriors Junior B hockey team’s hopes of going to the second round of the NEAJBHL playoffs were dashed by the Lloydminster Bandits in an away game at Lloydminster last Wednesday. The final score of the game was a bitter 7 – 2, in favour of the Bandits.
The first goal scored by the Warriors was contributed by Caleb Cardinal, who drew first blood in the first period with assists from Cory Hunter and Damen Weekusk at 17:34.
After the Bandits evened the score at 10:03 to go in the first, the Warrriors’ Gabriel Gardipy scored the team’s second and last goal with an assist from Justin Croft with 2:43 to go in the first.
However, the Bandits equalized with one of their own to tie the game at 2 – 2 with 11 seconds to go to in the first period.
The game’s second and third period belonged to the Bandits after the team scored five unanswered goals to end the Warriors’ first round playoffs run in three games.
Warriors’ coach Stan Olson says one of the reasons the team lost the game was the absence of Bruce Baptiste and Justin Christian, two of the team’s defencemen.
“We only have five defencemen (for the playoffs), and we had to go with only three for the game,” said Olson, adding, “You can’t stay with a team like Lloydminster … with only three defencemen.”
The team also has difficulty keeping up with the Bandits for the entire game, and ran out of gas at the last ten minute mark, added Olson.
Team GM Winston Lapatak has the same opinion on the team’s ability to stay with the Bandits in the three games they met for the playoffs.
“The last parts of the games we fail to capitalize and they finish us,” commented Lapatak, adding, “that seems to be the theme for the series.”
However, Lapatak noted that there is a definite improvement in the team compared to last year, a view shared by Olson.
“The team matured this year, and it will show up next year in the league and in the playoffs,” said Olson, while commenting that the maturity factor for the team wasn’t there for this year.
The Warriors also won’t be having the services of four of its players - Justin Croft, a forward, defencemen Cory Hunter and Matthew Watson, and goalie John Steinhauer back for next year due to them being over the age of limit for Junior B hockey.
“We’re looking for approximately six players for next year,” explained Olson, while stating that he thinks the team is in a good position for next season.
The Warriors will have its player selection camp on March 18, 19 and the 20th at the Saddle Lake arena.
