MARTENSVILLE 18A MARAUDERS VILLAINS
The Martensville Marauders Villains came very close to adding a U18A Hockey Saskatchewan provincial championship banner to the community’s arena on Wednesday, March 27.
But they ended up losing by a single goal in the third and deciding game of the series to the Lumsden Lions.
The Villains had a successful run in the provincial playoffs, downing the Swift Current Broncos in the first round. Despite losing 5-1 to Swift Current on February 24, the Villains rebounded to take Game Two by a score of 4-2 in Martensville on March 1. In the mini-Game Three, also on March 1, Martensville prevailed 2-1 to advance to the next round.
The Villains played the Meadow Lake Stampeders to a 3-3 tie in Game One of the second round series on March 10, and went on to win 7-3 in Game Two on March 15 to claim the North Division series.
That set up the showdown with the South Division champion Lumsden Lions. After losing 10-4 to the Lions on March 23, the Villains bounced back to take Game Two by a score of 3-1. In the Game Three mini-game, Lumsden captured the championship with a 1-0 win.
HAGUE U15B ROYALS
The Hague Royals lost a heartbreaker last weekend in Balgonie, dropping a 7-3 decision to the Prairie Storm in the second game of the Hockey Saskatchewan U15B provincial championship series. The two teams had skated to a 3-3 tie in the opening game of the series in Hague on March 22. With the victory in Game Two, Prairie Storm claimed the provincial crown.
The Royals had a strong showing in the lead-up to the provincial showdown. They beat the Humboldt Broncos in two straight games (7-5 on February 17 and 4-2 on March 2); and repeated the feat in the northern final, downing the Unity Lazers 5-2 on March 10 and 4-2 on March 17.
CLAVET U15D COUGARS
The Clavet Cougars lost out in the provincial Hockey Sask U15D championship round, losing two straight games to the Radville Nationals in late March. The Cougars dropped an 8-4 decision to the Nationals on March 23 in Clavet, and lost 5-3 in Game Two on March 29 in Radville.
The Cougars played the Lanigan Pirates in the north semi-final series, with Game One ending up in a 6-6 tie on February 25; and Clavet earning a 7-5 victory over Lanigan on March 4.
The Cougars then advanced to the next round, and dominated the Eston Ramblers in the north division final series, winning 8-2 on March 14 and 15-1 on March 17.