ESTEVAN – The Estevan Great North U18 AAA Bears' best season yet came to an end on March 10 with a 5-2 loss to the Moose Jaw Warriors. Moose Jaw captured the best-of-five Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League series in five games.
Dylan Brass opened the scoring for Estevan 3:20 into Game 5, but Moose Jaw tied it a few minutes later.
The Warriors took over in the second, scoring three times in six and a half minutes to lead 4-1. Brass notched his second of the game with 7:14 to play in the middle frame to trim the deficit. It remained a 4-2 game until Moose Jaw scored into an empty net late in the third.
Carson Deichert, who played some of his minor hockey in Estevan, had two goals and an assist for Moose Jaw.
Brady Carr made 23 saves for Estevan.
The series opened on March 2, with the Warriors defeating the Bears 3-2 in Moose Jaw. Estevan tied the series with a 6-1 victory two nights later and took the lead with a 4-3 win on March 6 in Moose Jaw. The Warriors staved off elimination with a 7-2 win on March 8 in Estevan.
Roan Burgess led the Bears in postseason points with six assists in five games, while Jase McNichol had the most goals (four) for Estevan, adding one assist.
Carr appeared in all five games for Estevan, finishing with a 3.68 goals-against average. Cole Ivey had a brief relief appearance during the series.
This year marked the fourth full season in Bears' franchise history. The team finished with a 22-19-3 record and 45 points; both the wins and points totals were franchise records. Their seventh-place finish in the Saskatchewan Male U18 AAA Hockey League was their best yet. They made the playoffs for the second straight year.
Moose Jaw is the second seed in the playoffs after finishing the regular season with a 32-9-3 record.
