On their last road trip, the Jasper Midget Bearcats went oh for two in a pair of games they were in, but couldn’t finish. Last weekend our boys had something to prove as they traveled east again to Ponoka and Maskwacis. Last fall, Jasper went 1-0-1 against the Ponoka Wolves and earlier this month they played two close matches against the Maskwacis Hawks and lost both.
The Bearcats struck first on Friday in Ponoka. With a Wolf in the penalty box Jasper cycled the puck back to big defenseman Matthew Park. His blast was tipped in by centre Rhys Malcolm to give Jasper the early lead. But after this goal, Ponoka dialed up the pressure and beat Jasper netminder, Severin Golla at the nine-minute mark and again with a minute to play in the first. Two to one Ponoka after one.
In the second, Golla held Ponoka off the score sheet for 10 minutes thanks to some stand-up defence from Park, Jayden McDonald and Jack Hilworth. Dimitri Buttazonni started the game on D, but left after the first period to nurse a fever and a churning gut. At the halfway mark, Golla also had to exit the game after getting driven headfirst into his goal post by a Ponoka forward crashing the crease. He also would not return and Jake Melanson, who was playing forward on Friday to fill up the Bearcats’ sick and injured ranks, quickly strapped on the pads and took over in net.
Starting cold like that is no picnic and the Wolves scored two quick ones before Jasper could adjust to the lineup changes. Erik Paukstat got one back at the close of the second, burying a pass from Malcolm and Brendan Auger. Four to two for Ponoka after two periods. Jasper was still in it, but couldn’t mount the needed third period comeback. Ponoka scored twice more, handing the Bearcats a 6-2 loss.
On Saturday, the Bearcats travelled down the short highway from Ponoka to Maskwachis Cree First Nation to take on the Hawks. Golla was still out, but Buttazonni had recovered enough to rejoin the team. Buttazonni’s energy breathed much-needed life into the team and they responded, peppering the Hawks’ goaltender in the first period. But they couldn’t score and Maskwachis picked up a power play marker for a one to nothing first period lead.
Maskwacis kept up the pressure in the second period, but Melanson was perfect between the pipes for the Bearcats. Unfortunately for Jasper, the Hawks’ netminder kept up his perfect performance too and the second period had no scoring. It was anyone’s game.
In the third Malcolm buried two quick goals, one on a breakaway and the second a jam in at the side of the net, to give Jasper a one-goal lead. Melanson continued to rock it in net. He faced 17 shots in a fast paced third period, and stopped them all, meanwhile Jack Hilworth was busy filling the net at the other end. He polished off the Hawks with a blast from the point and a dinger from the side of the net. Jasper had a 4-1 lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Melanson cast aside a last-minute flurry from the Hawks and the 4-1 score would get entered into the books.
This weekend the Bearcats are on the road again, heading back to Vegreville for another two games in perogy country. You can read about it here.
John Wilmshurst Special to the 51°µÍø
