The Warman U13AA Wildcats advanced to the second round of the Centre Four Hockey League playoffs with a resounding 12-2 home-ice victory over the West Central Wheat Kings on Monday, February 21.
The Wildcats lost the first game in the best-of-three playoff series by a score of 6-5 on Saturday, February 19 in Warman; but rallied back with a 5-3 win in Kerrobert on Sunday, February 20 to even the series.
The two teams were evenly-matched through the regular season, with Warman finishing in fourth spot and West Central just a few points back in fifth place
In the first game of the playoff series February 19, the Wheat Kings opened the scoring and built up a 6-1 lead.
It wasn’t until the midway point in the third period that the Wildcats started to claw their way back. But, in the space of seven minutes, they scored five goals.
They carried that momentum on the road for the second game in Kerrobert, taking an early lead and not letting up until the final buzzer.
The third and deciding game back in Warman on Monday saw the Wildcats strike early and often, racking up five unanswered goals in the first period, adding two more in the second and another five in the third. West Central managed just one goal in the second and another in the third, both on the power play.
Warman now prepares to take on the first-place Tisdale U13AA Ramblers in a best-of-three series that begins later this week. Updated schedules are posted on the Saskatchewan U13AA Hockey League website.