Last conference games crucial for hockey Bears as they host ‘Horns
Rebecca Medel
Sports Editor
Feb 15, 2012
Despite only one weekend of regular season games left for the hockey Bears — who have already nabbed their playoff spot and are sitting at number two in Canada West at 18-6-2 — this weekend’s games matter for a few reasons.
Other than the obvious ‘play every game like a playoff game’ mantra, Bears head coach Stan Marple summed up the importance of this weekend’s two home games against the University of Lethbridge Pronghorns.
“If we can get two wins, we’re guaranteed a second place and a bye in the first round (of playoffs). If we lose one then we’re depending on Saskatchewan also to lose one because they’re only a point behind us. There’s a slight possibility we could finish first if we win both our games at home and Winnipeg dropped a game in regulation to UBC. But we can’t control that, so we don’t worry about it. We’ve just got to make sure that we do our job and get these two wins.”
If the Bears get their two wins they’ll bypass the first round of playoffs the following weekend and be able to focus their efforts on preparing for hosting a team in the semi-finals March 2-4. And if they play like they did in Regina last weekend, where they took home two solid wins with 6-2 on Friday and 4-3 overtime on Saturday, they’ll be set.
Marple wasn’t 100 per cent pleased with the way Saturday’s win came about, however.
“We played really well on Friday night — a real complete game — and then Saturday our work ethic was good in the first period, but we didn’t play a very smart game. Our puck management wasn’t great and we found ourselves behind the eight ball, so to speak, going down 3-0 to Regina on the road. We got one back and then Johnny Lazo brought it to 3-2 with a great individual effort. We pulled Kurtis Mucha (from the net) with just under two minutes left. Greg Gardner tipped in a point shot for the tying goal and Johnny Lazo and Levko Koper scored a couple of nice shootout goals to get the win for us.”
Despite the wins a tighter line will be needed this weekend to make sure mistakes like giving the puck away at the blue line resulting in a breakaway goal for Regina doesn’t happen again.
“(Mucha) played it really well. It’s just unfortunate that the inertia from the guy going to the net carried the puck just barely past the goal line. But I was really proud of (Mucha) because it’s always tough to play in games when you heavily outshoot the opposition and all the goals that we gave up were a direct result of our poor puck management.
“We just have to make sure that we bring it this weekend and hopefully get two wins against Lethbridge and hope for Manitoba to drop a couple of points at home.”
The Bears’ wins over Regina eliminated them from playoffs, so Lethbridge will take the sixth-place spot. UBC is guaranteed fifth and Calgary is now in fourth. The top three spots are still up for grabs with Manitoba at 18-5-3 and Saskatchewan at 17-6-3 to rival the Bears.
Games against the Pronghorns are Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Clare Drake Arena.
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