CANORA - The U18 Canora Cobras began their quest in provincials in impressive fashion, eliminating the Carnduff Red Devils with two straight wins in the first round.
The series began with Game 1 in Carnduff on Feb. 11, preceded by an approximately three-hour drive almost straight south.
According to Coach Adam Vangen, the Cobras played an excellent road game in Carnduff and were full marks for the 6-4 win.
“Even though we had a long ride to get there, the boys came ready to play and did just that,” said Vangen. “One of the keys to victory was input from all of our players. We have seen such growth in the level of play from individuals and at a team level during the season. Every line and every shift went to work to get the job done.”
In Game 1, Wyatt Wolkowski of Canora led the offense with two goals and two assists. Jace Vogel of Pelly also had two assists. Bryker Smith of Sturgis matched Wolkowski with two goals of his own, and also had an assist. Briel Beblow of Canora scored the other goal. Single assists were added by Porter Wolkowski and Hunter Lamb of Canora, Linden Roebuck of Buchanan, Bracyn Konkel of Sturgis and Nathan Anaka of Stenen.
The series resumed in Canora on Feb. 17, and the Cobras came out hungry to get the jump on the visitors. Canora never trailed, and skated away with an emphatic 8-2 victory. Coach Vangen was pleased to see that the Cobras were rewarded for a strong start with a 4-1 lead at the end of the first period.
“Our start Saturday night was great, we came out to play. We tell the team a strong start is key to how the rest of the game will go. After the first period, we continued to play well with our confidence up. Controlling the game and playing to our ability and as a team is the key to winning.”
Vangen said one of the biggest factors in the victory was how the Cobras scored seven out of their eight goals from high traffic areas close to the Carnduff net.
“We’ve been working with the boys on getting pucks to the net and banging in those rebounds. Sometimes those goals aren’t pretty, but they still count. To be successful going forward we know the players need to keep doing this and working hard as a team.”
In Game 2, Porter Wolkowski had a big night with a hat trick and an assist. Bryker Smith continued his strong play with a second straight three-point game, this time with a goal and two assists. Jace Vogel and Linden Roebuck also each had a goal and two assists. Hunter Lamb and Bronson Heshka of Canora each added a goal and an assist. Wyatt Wolkowski and Devon Paley of Canora rounded out the scoring with an assist each for the well-balanced Cobras offense.
“We are really happy to have won the first round of provincials and have the opportunity to play in the second round,” said Coach Vangen, adding that the next series begins Friday, March 1 in Cupar, followed by Game 2 in Canora on Sunday, March 3.
“We know this will be a tough series as they have some of the Balcarres players we play against in our league playing with their provincial team. We hope to see everyone at the Civic Center to cheer the boys on and make some noise.”
League playoffs
After completing the provincial first-round series win over Carnduff, the U18 Cobras switched gears and began the first round of league playoffs on the road in Balcarres on Feb. 12.
The Cobras started fast, and took a 3-0 lead in the first period, with two unassisted goals from Bryker Smith and one from Briel Beblow of Canora, on assists from Smith and Hunter Lamb of Canora.
But Balcarres players kept their composure, and took a 4-3 lead after the second period. With a scoreless third period, the Broncos earned the win and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
Game 2 took place in Canora on Feb. 15, and the Cobras battle back to deadlock the series with a back-and-forth 8-6 victory. The Cobras took a 4-1 lead in the opening period, but the visitors roared back to tie the score in the second. Balcarres took a 6-5 lead in the final period, but Canora earned the win and tied the series by scoring the final three goals.
Briel Beblow and Bryker Smith continued their strong play, each with two goals and three assists in Game 2. Jace Vogel of Pelly chipped in with two goals and an assist. Single goals came from the sticks of Wyatt Wolkowski of Canora and Bracyn Konkel, who also added an assist.
That set the stage for the third and deciding game, back in Balcarres on Feb. 25, won 5-4 by the Cobras.
Canora jumped on Balcarres early and scored the first two goals, but the Broncos bounced back and led 3-2 by the first intermission. The Cobras would not be denied, however, and outscored the home team 3-1 the rest of the way to earn the one-goal victory and win the series.
Bryker Smith continued his hot streak with a pair of goals for the Cobras. Singles were scored by Zander Purdy, along with Hunter Lamb and Owen Lowe of Canora. Jace Vogel was the top playmaker with two assists.
In round two, the Cobras will face the winner of the series between Langenburg and Yorkton.
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