By WAYNE SHIELS
The Warman U15A Lynx gave fans more than their money’s worth on Saturday, March 29, claiming the provincial title with a 7-1 win over the Yorkton Terriers on home ice at Warman Home Centre Communiplex.
The Lynx was up in the series, having defeated Yorkton 1-0 on March 23. This was the first challenge for the squad in provincial play, having outscored their opponents 49-6 in the first two rounds.
Warman head coach Brian Jones was pleased with how his players responded.
“Yorkton is really well coached,” said Jones. “They really played hard and took away the stuff we normally get through the middle, so we had to play differently.
“It looked like we were not going to get any goals when Tanner Huber went down the left side and shelved it with about 11 minutes left in the third period”, Jones added. “It was exciting. The kids learned that they had to work for it.”
There was more of the same to start game two.
“We had to adjust to the pace again,” said Jones. “Those guys came to win and we had to up our game. When you move the puck and move your feet, good things happen.”
Reid Viden opened the scoring early and Haven Brossart added to that lead, roofing the puck from the slot after a long rush.
Yorkton responded with intense pressure for the remainder of the first period. Helped by three powerplay opportunities they fired 14 shots on net.
However, Warman goaltender Ayden Olynick was up to the task, making several spectacular saves.
Coach Jones stressed the key role his goaltender had in the team’s win.
“Like all good goalies he made it look easy, being in the right spot,” said Jones. “When he made those saves the game could have gone either way, momentum might have shifted.”
Warman began to pull away in the second period. Reid Viden netted a rebound and then scored his hat trick goal on a perfectly executed two-on-one break to increase Warman’s lead.
Hayden Legault, Zander Wildeboer and Nixon Bergen added markers in the third period. Yorkton scored on a power play for their lone goal.
With the win the Lynx claimed their second championship in 24 hours, having won the Saskatoon City League title the previous evening.