Chris Clegg
South Peace News
Bring on the playoffs!
The High Prairie Regals can atone for a miserable NPHL regular season that started yesterday (Feb. 4) when they opened their best-of-three playoff series versus the Valleyview Jets.
The East Division last place Regals (1-19-0-0) play the Jets (7-11-2-0) for the right to play the East Division champion and Lawrence Cup champion (for placing first overall in the standings) Manning Comets in the East Division Semifinal.
The Jets swept the Regals in their three-game season series this year but the Jets have not won a playoff series in 31 years and they have lost all eight previous playoff series against the Regals, winning only nine games compared to High Prairie’s 29. If history is any indication, the Regals picked the right opponent.
The second game of the series is Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 8:30 p.m. at the Sports Palace.
The Regals ended the regular season with a 10-2 loss to the Dawson Creek Canucks on Feb. 1 and 6-4 to the Comets on Feb. 4. Both games were at home.
The Canucks came calling badly in need of a win in their race to win the West Division, which they eventually did. As was the case most the year, the Regals were in the game tied 2-2 past the halfway point when a weak goal opened the floodgates for a rout. It seems all year when the Regals play well, something bad happens, or they can’t catch a break, and sag badly. Coupled with the fact they led the NPHL in blown leads this season (eight in only 20 games) and the recipe for a poor record was evident.
Alex Hanson scored three goals to lead the Canucks while Braeden Allkins score twice and added two helpers. Collin Mathieson also added a pair while Dustin Bahm scored once and added four assists. Brandon Rowley and Adam Morton notched the other goals.
Brandon McNabb and James Tallman replied for the Regals, who were outshot 55-26.
The Comets came calling three days later with first placed locked up. They secured their third Lawrence Cup title the previous night when Fox Creek forfeited.
The Comets raced out to a 2-0 first period lead on a pair of goals from Ty Wiebe. Larry Yellowknee closed the gap to 2-1 before Deklan Whillans’ goal before the end of the period made it 3-1.
In the second, Nathan Smith scored 28 seconds in and it was game on with the score 3-2.
However, Wiebe’s third goal of the night – and the only hat trick scored by a Comet this season – made it 4-2. Kye Whillans and Dalton Gibson-Ducharme scored just before the halfway point to make it 6-2 and that was enough as far as head coach Trent Meyaard was concerned. He called a timeout and lit into his team with a speech not hear in the pews at Sunday services. The problem was a lack of effort and poor defensive zone coverage, leaving goaltender Kirby Halcrow helpless.
To their credit, the Regals responded and blanked the Comets the rest of the game. Hudson Chalifoux’s second period goal and Jeremy Macdonald’s third period market wasn’t quite enough, however. But a positive sign with playoffs looming. Could this be a turning point in their season?
As the game ran to its conclusion the shot clock was worth watching. The Regals gave up 47 shots, just two under 1,000 for the season in 20 games. From available league records, had the Regals surrendered two more shots they would have become only the seventh team in NPHL history to give up an average of 50 shots per game.
