The Warman Wildcats got the better of the Martensville Marauders, earning a 2-1 overtime win during a U15 AA exhibition contest at the Martensville Arena on October 24.
The game was very competitive throughout and both goalies were very tough to beat early on in the matchup, as the score was still 0-0 entering the third period.
Martensville was the first team to break through after Kazden Mathies found the back of the net seven minutes in to the third frame.
Marauders head coach Shaun Priel was glad his team struck first on the scoreboard, but Warman didn’t back down and Brock Evans netted one to tie the game.
“That first goal (of the game) is always a big one,” Priel said. “Now we have to get to a place where we’re able to sustain that. We’ve got to maintain that momentum, make the decisions and make the plays that gives us the chance to come out on the other end of the scoreboard.”
The 1-1 score held up until the end of regulation and a 5 minute 3-on-3 overtime period was required to determine a winner.
Both teams had some scoring opportunities to capture the win and it was the Wildcats that took advantage of their scoring chance, as Riley Ashe netted the game winning goal.
The Warman squad features more second year U15 players than the Martensville team and that showed in the matchup. The Wildcats used their experience to comeback and ultimately win the game.
“You have these kids that come back and they played in the league once. They’re physically stronger and they’re mentally stronger and they just understand the resilience you have to have in order to get the job done,” Priel said about the Wildcats.
The contest against Warman was Martensville’s second and final game in exhibition play, as the Marauders just fell short to the Saskatoon Outlaws in overtime on October 18.
“We’ve got a real young team,” Priel said. “There are 11 guys that are ‘07s and when they go out and compete against a couple of real senior teams like we played last weekend and this weekend, there’s promise for us. I’m excited to see where we end up this year.”
The Wildcats have another opportunity to tune up their game plan before the start of the regular season with their final exhibition game against the Saskatoon Bandits, which is scheduled for October 31 at the Legends Centre.
The regular season will definitely be different compared to years past because of the COVID-19 restrictions and guidelines each team in the Saskatchewan U15 AA hockey league will have to adhere to.
The Marauders are scheduled to play their first game of the regular season on the road against the West Central Wheat Kings on November 7, while the Wildcats are also up against the Wheat Kings for their opening game of the season on November 14.
