The Preeceville Pats midget hockey team defeated Yorkton in a best of three series and Langenburg in the best of five game series to advance in the playoffs.
In the Yorkton series, Preeceville defeated Yorkton in the first game held in Preeceville on February 10 by a final score of 3 to 2. The second game was held in Yorkton with Preeceville winning with a 7 to 2 final score.
"After game on February 10 it was pretty evident that our men got caught up in complacency, playing a lazier style than they usually do," said Kirby Pankratz, coach.
“There was a little bit of over confidence and they were looking forward to the next opponent already. We had a hard look in the mirror and addressed the work ethic in the next practice, and realized to be the type of team we want to be that we have to bring up our compete level every game and every shift. In playoffs it’s a new season and you can’t overlook any opponent. They definitely had a statement game in game two. They showed me that they could rebound hard and play to the level they’re capable of. That made me pretty proud of them.”
The second series against Langenburg began February 26 with game one played in Langenburg. The Preeceville team took the win with a 5 to 3 final score. Scoring for Preeceville were: Jacob Danyluk (two goals), Dylan Wiwcharuk, Grady Wolkowski and Shelby Wallin. Assists were by: Maxwell Mydonick, Todd Pankratz, Dawson Paul, Shae Peterson, Tyler Kopeck and Jacob Danyluk.
The second game on March 4 in Preeceville ended with a 7 to 5 win for Preeceville. Scorers for the home team were: Dawson Paul (two goals), Carter Masley, Ryan Bear, Todd Pankratz, Dylan Wiwcharuk and Noah Watson. Assists were by: Tyler Kopeck, Derek Barteski, Grady Wolkowski, Shelby Wallin, Jacob Danyluk, Dawson Paul and Todd Pankratz.
The third game played in Langenburg on March 6 ended with a 5 to 4 loss for Preeceville. Scoring for Preeceville were: Carter Masley, Shae Peterson, Tyler Kopeck and Ryan Bear. Assists were made by Todd Pankratz and Shae Peterson.
The fourth and deciding game was held back in Preeceville on March 8 with a 3 to 2 win for Preeceville. Scorers for the Pats were: Shae Peterson, Todd Pankratz and Shelby Wallin. Assists by: Jacob Danyluk, Shelby Wallin and Shae Peterson.
"We split regular season wins with Langenburg, and our home game against them in the regular season was probably our most complete game we played all year in a dominant team victory, so that gave us confidence going into this playoff series," said Pankratz.
“We knew we were playing against one of the best goalies in the league, so we needed lots of shots and traffic in front of him and we would be successful. We came out with twice as many shots as the opposition in all the games or even more. It was a very physical, exciting series and I’m sure the fans really enjoyed that caliber of hockey. We’re very happy to have that kind of hometown support and look forward to playing the final series against Moosomin. Hope to see the ‘barn’ packed to capacity for it when we come home.”
The games were not scheduled at press time.
