SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN - The Redvers Rockets are the first team to advance to the semifinal round in the Big Six Hockey League's playoffs.
Redvers defeated the Wawota Flyers 14-1 on Feb. 2 to win the best-of-five first-round series in three straight games. Redvers, who is the top-ranked team in the playoffs, outscored the eighth-seeded Flyers 39-3 in three games.
Taylor Ernst scored for Wawota in the first period to leave the Flyers down 3-1 in Game 3, but Redvers took over from there.
Drew Hoff led the Redvers' offensive barrage with two goals and three assists. Kenton Miller had a four-point game with a goal and three assists. Koltyn Miller scored three times, Jordon Miller had two goals, and Presten Kopeck, Naton Miller, Braeden Magotiaux, Jorden Enger, Kelsey Kenler and Declyn Henderson also scored.
Thomas Bauche was the Redvers goalie. Jayden Hodson was in goal for Wawota.
Redvers opened the series with an 11-0 drubbing Jan. 30. Naton Miller led the offence with two goals and four assists for six points. Magotiaux had three goals and two assists, and Jordon Miller had three goals. Kenton Miller, Carson Henrion and Kenler also scored for Redvers.
Thomas Bauche was in goal for the Rockets, while Brendan Rinn and Hodson shared the goaltending duties for Wawota.
Two nights later, Redvers won 14-2 in Wawota. Kenton Miller had four goals and two assists for a six-point night. Henrion had two goals and three helpers, while Jordon Miller (three goals and an assist), Hoff (a goal and three assists) and Henderson (four helpers) each had four-point games. Josh Potapinski scored twice, and Daylin Smallchild and Kenler also scored.
Cody Matthewson was in goal for the Rockets.
Aydan Lawless had both of Wawota's goals in Game 2. Hodson was the goalie.
The other playoff series are underway. The No. 2 Moosomin Rangers have a 2-0 lead in their series with the No. 7 Kipling-Windthorst Oil Kings, after winning 4-0 in Game 1 on Jan. 31 and 9-5 the following night.
After a scoreless first period in Game 1, Monty Driver, Dustin Fisher and Brad Cole scored in the second for Moosomin, and Cole added his second of the game in the third.
Kyler Beckett had the shutout for Moosomin, while Dylan DeDecker was in goal for the Oil Kings.
The following day, Moosomin had a 6-5 lead midway through the third period and pulled away for the win. Taylor Sanheim had two goals and two assists and Bud Holloway also had two goals for Moosomin. Kye McGonigal, Tayte Willoughby, Jayden Bender, Justin Lamontagne and Jevon Schwean also scored. Kyler Beckett was in goal.
Austin Fleck led the Kipling-Windthorst attack in Game 2 with a goal and three assists, while Riley Kolesar had two goals. Dan Loffler and Brandon Munro also scored. Zachary Barath and DeDecker were in goal.
Moosomin will have a chance to wrap up the series on Feb. 7 in Moosomin. Game 4, if necessary, would be Feb. 12 in Kipling and Game 5 would be Feb 14 in Moosomin.
The third-seeded Carlyle Cougars have seized a 2-0 lead in their series with the sixth-ranked Midale Mustangs, thanks to an 8-3 win on Jan. 31 in Carlyle and a 7-1 win the following night in Midale.
Game 1 was tied 2-2 after the first period, but then Carlyle took over. Riley Niven had two goals for Carlyle, and Ben Johnstone, Jon Gaudet, Taysen Holt, Adrien Riddell, Marc Shaw and Kaelan Holt also scored. Curtis Meger was the Carlyle goalie.
Sterling Bear had two goals for Midale, and Brad Tomiski also scored. Carver Ottenbreit was in goal.
Carlyle continued to roll with four goals in the first period of Game 2. Niven scored twice, while Randen Schmidt, Josh Romanyk, Johnstone, Kaelen Holt and Brett Turgeon scored for Carlyle. Johnstone added four assists to finish with five points, while Niven had two helpers for a four-point game.
Meger was in goal.
Bear had Midale's lone goal. Talen King and Ottenbreit shared the goaltending duties.
Game 3 is Feb. 4 in Carlyle. Game 4 would be the next night in Midale and Game 5 would be Feb. 12 in Carlyle.
The closest game in the playoffs was Game 1 between No. 4 Carnduff and No. 5 Oxbow on Feb. 1 in Carnduff. Oxbow won the game 4-3 in overtime, with Kieran Stewart notching the winner 37 seconds into the extra frame.
After a scoreless first period, Oxbow outscored Carnduff 3-1 in the second to take the lead. Tyler Hengan, Cody Davis and Derek Cooney scored for Oxbow, while Cooper Bowman had Carnduff's goal in the middle frame. Tanner Froese and Ben Hiltz scored in the third to tie the game; Hiltz's goal came with a minute to play.
Cody Levesque picked up the win for Oxbow in goal, while Cody Dumaine was the Carnduff goalie.
Game 2 is Feb. 4 in Oxbow and Game 3 is Feb. 6 in Carnduff. Dates for Games 4 and 5 have yet to be decided.
