When fans started to file into the Canora Civic Centre around 5 p.m. on March 9, most were hoping to see the home team win. They got their wish, but it took almost four full periods of action-packed hockey.
The Canora Peewee Cobras were about to start their semifinal series with their number one goal of making it to the finals. But they knew they would have to start by taking care of business at home. It was game one of a best-of-three series and their opponent was the Moosomin Rangers.
Moosomin came into the first game of the series sporting a 10-6-2 record through the regular season. With Canora’s 5-12-1 regular season record, the Cobras’ “A” game would be required. But everybody knows that in the playoffs, the regular season records get thrown out the window and you play mano e mano (man against man).
After victories for both teams in winning the first-round playoff series, both were feeling pretty confident. Some of the parents, on the other hand, were nervous and felt the tension building prior to the drop of the puck.
Starting goaltenders for the game were Cole Marcinkoski for the home team and Ty Nagy for the visitors, each wearing No. 31. If the tenders could have foreseen the future, they each would likely not have gone out for warm-ups to save their energy for this game because they both saw more rubber than the Michelin Man.
At the start of the first period you could tell that the Cobras had not played in a couple of weeks, as they were trying to find their skating legs and their timing.
Moosomin tried to take advantage of Canora’s sluggish start, and only two minutes and 10 seconds into the opening frame the Rangers did just that. Porter Skulmoski, No. 18, took a nice pass from Tayson Cherry, No. 10, and buried a shot, five hole, to get the visiting team on the board and silence a raucous playoff crowd.
Unfortunately, the hometown boys didn’t get ’er going till the Rangers popped in two more goals in the next six minutes. Halfway through the first period the Cobras had dug a hole and were trailing 3-0. The Cobras seemed flat and if things didn’t change, the Rangers would runaway with the game.
The home team was looking for a spark and finally veteran Logan Lewchuk, No. 7, provided that spark. With nine minutes left in the first period, Canora had the shift that changed the momentum.
The Rangers were hemmed in the defensive zone for over a minute by the Cobras, cycling the puck and getting good quality shots on goal. With 8:06 to go in the first, Lewchuk pounced on a rebound that the Rangers’ goalie left out in the open and banged home the Cobras’ first goal of the night.
That first goal gave the Cobras confidence and momentum, supported by the cheering home crowd. For the next minute-and-a-half the Cobras kept the Rangers running around in the defensive zone with some great forechecking and passing.
With 6:29 to go in the first, the Cobras made a great passing play down low, which involved Logan Wolkowski, No. 11, and Taye Shukin, No. 2, grinding it out, battling, cycling and doing the dirty work to finally pass the puck into the slot to find their line mate and the hot hand, Lewchuk, who took the pass and got the shot off. The Rangers’ goalie made the save, but Lewchuk followed his shot and buried another rebound goal. Just like that the Cobra’s pulled to within one on the scoreboard. The team was happy to take that score into the first intermission.
At the start of the second, the Cobras were winning on the shot clock, 13-8 but the score was 3-2 for the Rangers. Throughout this season the Cobras have been in numerous similar situations, being down in games and then coming right back up. So the Canora faithful were hoping this experience would come through in this game.
Unfortunately, the second period started very similar to the first. The Rangers getting a goal one minute in for a two-goal cushion once again. The game had opened up and end-to-end action by both teams resulted in a plethora of shots both goalies had to handle.
With 15:42 left, Logan Wolkowski, No. 11, finished off a pass from Lewchuk to bring the Cobras back to within one goal. With over half the game left to play, everyone could see this barn-burner was shaping up to be a sprint to the finish line.
Both teams were battling and playing with a lot of heart. Moosomin was feeling the tides turning and the momentum shifting, but still found a way to reclaim a two-goal cushion. With 7:41 left in the second, Logan Bruce, No. 33, scored and the Rangers were ahead 5-3.
A few seconds after that tally, the Rangers were assessed a penalty. Canora’s Keegan Dyck, No. 17, received a two-handed slash across his wrist. As he skated to the bench, it looked like he was in some pain and discomfort, but he also looked a bit ticked off.
On the ensuing power play Dyck did a great job keeping the puck in the Rangers’ zone at the blue line. He then spun around, wound up, and took a big slap shot. The big defenseman wisely kept it low and it found its way through the Rangers’ goalie’s legs and into the back of the net, narrowing the score to 5-4.
But the previous pattern of the game continued. Even with all kinds of hard work, Canora just couldn’t get that tying goal. With 6:42 left in the middle frame, Moosomin got a goal from Rory Poole, No. 8, to restore the two-goal lead.
Then, in the final two minutes of the period, the Cobras gave the Canora faithful something to really get excited about, scoring two goals before the period was out. Both goals were scored by Taye Shukin, No. 2. One them came on a breakaway with two defenders right on his tail and Shukin shot it top corner, bar down over the goalie’s glove hand.
At the start of the third period, the shot clock read 33-29 for the Cobras but the teams were all knotted at 6-6.
Predictably, with how the game had gone to this point, the Rangers took the lead again at 15:25 of the final frame.
But only nine seconds after that Logan Wolkowski potted his second goal of the night and sent the pendulum of momentum back to Canora’s side. The pendulum, of course, wouldn’t stay there for long. Kale Holmstrom, No. 19 of the Rangers, scored on a knuckle puck shot from the point that fooled Marcinkoski, the Cobras’ goalie.
Moosomin was now up by one with half the period to play. So the visiting team started playing more defensively and iced the puck on a regular basis. Everyone knew that Canora would tie it up. They had to, they had been doing it throughout the game. The question, though, was when?
The answer came with 9:54 left in the game. Shukin delivered the tying goal and sent everyone in the stand into hysteria once again.
It was fitting that this game would go the distance and need overtime to settle things. Could Canora get over the hump and get that all too precious go-ahead goal? The one that eluded the home side from the opening draw?
Overtime was played just like the first three periods. It was a high-flying, back-and-forth battle with lots of shots, saves, and each team even hit one post. The suspense and action was amazing. Nobody could understand how the players still had gas left in the tank. Finally, with three minutes left in the extra frame, a beautiful play unfolded in the Rangers’ end for the home team. Logan Wolkowski took a pass from Shukin behind the net. He battled and fought with his opponent to hold on to the puck and threw a pass out in front to Logan Lewchuk. Lewchuk managed to get a quick shot off and put it over the glove of the Rangers’ goalie for the winning goal in a 9-8 shootout.
All-in-all, it was unbelievable play by unbelievable players for an unbelievable game
