The Warman U18AAA Wildcats showed they mean business by coming away with two dominate wins over the Tisdale Trojans in the first round of the playoffs.
From the opening faceoff in game one, the Wildcats put pressure on the Trojans and were rewarded with a 2-0 lead on goals by Jonah Marshall and Trey Markus. Tisdale was able to get back into the game thanks to a pair of powerplay goals before the end of the first period.
The Wildcats hit the gas near the end of the middle frame and didn’t look back. Home game star Kade Hynd netted a powerplay marker with five minutes left in the second period and followed that by firing a howitzer from the faceoff circle for his second goal two minutes later. Twelve seconds after that, Cohen Klassen found the twine to give the home team a 5-2 lead.
Carsen Adair and Beckett Hamilton added to the lead in the third period.
It was a good playoff start for the Wildcats, outshooting the visitors 38-21. Two days later saw a repeat performance when the two teams squared off in Tisdale on Monday, March 4 .
The Wildcats controlled the play, outshooting the Trojans 46-22 in a 7-1 win.
Jack Janzen and Connor Bear both had hat tricks in the game, while Ty Dauvin had a lone marker and two assists in the win.
This was the fourth straight meeting between the two clubs, finishing the season with a home and home series.
As a result they have built up an intense rivalry that boiled over in the third period.
In an effort to keep control of the game, the referees called 24 penalties; including several misconducts in the final frame.
The Wildcats will be looking to wrap the series up on Wednesday, March 6 at the Warman Home Centre Communiplex, 7:30 start time.