The Moose Jaw Thrashers got hot at just the right time during the recent Moose Jaw U15 B Classic tournament, and that would result in a ‘C’ side championship for the local crew during the Jan. 21 weekend.
The Thrashers posted a 1-2 record in the round robin but would find their winning ways with a 7-6 shootout victory over the Moose Jaw Stealth in their first playoff game before claiming the hardware with a 9-3 victory over the Regina Cougars.
It was a tough start for the local crew in their opener, as they dropped an 11-1 decision to the Saskatoon Admiral Bobcats before rebounding with a 4-2 victory against the Regina Shamrocks. A 5-1 loss to the Moose Jaw Hornets sent the Thrashers into the playoffs, where things immediately started going their way.
They found themselves in a barnburner in the semifinal, as Declan Halsall scored a pair of third-period goals to go along with single markers from Jacoby Webb and Dax Kalaniuk to send the game into extra time. There, Kalaniuk scored the only shootout goal and Riley Barnett stopped all three shooters he faced to give the Thrashers the win.
Joel Gerbrandt and Torsten Erickson scored goals in the first and second periods respectively as the Thrashers trailed 3-2 through two.
Nixon Johnson and Miguel Rea had a pair of goals each for the Stealth, with Rea also picking up two assists. Jaxon Weston had a goal and an assist, Sage Westerman had their other marker.
Things were far different in the ‘C’ final, as despite falling behind 2-0 early, the Thrashers would score seven straight and go on to their comfortable win.
Kalaniuk led the offence with four goals, while Marek Rajaczakowski scored a pair to go along with single markers from Halsall, Gerbrandt and Chase Folk.
The Stealth opened their run with an 8-2 win over the Lumsden Monarchs, but lost their next two 5-3 to Esterhazy and 8-5 to the Saskatoon Renegade Rage before falling to the Thrashers.
Both the Hornets and Moose Jaw Mafia were 2-1 in their round-robins before losing their first playoff games.
The Hornets took a 6-1 win over the Regina Cougars to go along with their victory over the Thrashers and lost their other preliminary round game 7-1 to the Saskatoon Razorbacks. They then lost their first playoff game 6-1 to the Saskatoon Renegade Rage.
The Mafia ran a gauntlet of Regina teams in their round robin, winning 7-2 over the Colts and 7-1 over the Cougars to go along with a 4-3 loss to the Royals. They then fell 8-2 to the Saskatoon Bobcat Crunch in their playoff game.
The Saskatoon Bobcat Admirals won the ‘A’ side title with a 7-2 victory over Esterhazy in the final.
