It should have been a long and quiet bus ride on Sunday night as the Jasper PeeWee Bears returned home from a two-game road trip through Slave Lake and Wabasca, but wet snow, slick roads and a soft shoulder shattered the stillness of the drive. Stranded on the side of an icy highway in a listing bus gave us plenty of time to contemplate how different these two games were.
On Saturday, the Bears were in Slave Lake to play a team that looked a lot like Jasper鈥檚. In the warm-up the Thunder looked very much like a team that could keep it between the white lines, and from the stands it seemed like a close match was in store. But not long after the puck dropped, it was clear that Slave Lake was going to struggle to get traction in this game.
Jasper controlled the play, and although it took almost 15 minutes to solve the Slave Lake goaltender, the eventual outcome was easy to predict. The difference was passing. Slave Lake could carry the puck and they could shoot, but Jasper鈥檚 netminder, Donovan Fawcett, had no trouble tracking down those long shots. Jasper, on the other hand, passed the puck like it was on a string. They gained the zone, controlled the puck on the boards, distributed it to the D and worked for scoring chances. It was 1-0 Jasper after the first period on the strength of Baden Koss sliding in a puck that was fishtailed 200 feet by Bears鈥� defenseman, Dexter Fawcett.
At the end of 40 minutes it was 5-1 Jasper with Liam Crozier and Tanner Carlton each scoring singletons and Sebastian Golla with a pair. Slave Lake鈥檚 lone goal was a power play marker. Dylan Skinner roofed one for the Bears鈥� early in the third, finishing a tic-tac-toe play from Lucas Oeggerli. Carlton and Golla each scored again, and Oeggerli, who had been generously dishing all afternoon, put away Jasper鈥檚 final goal. Slave Lake would get one more power play marker and another full strength, but Fawcett would turn away 13 other shots for a 9-3 Jasper ditching of the Slave Lake Thunder. This was one of the most complete games our PeeWees have played this season.
Sunday鈥檚 game in Wabasca was a different look altogether. The Eagles are a rough-and-ready team with some big, talented players. Our Jasper kids were in for one of the most physical contests they have had in a loosely called game that, astonishingly, saw no power plays for either team.
Halfway through the first, the Eagles surprised the Bears with two goals in a 10 second span. Digging deep, Jasper would get unstuck late in the first. Oeggerli wired the puck top shelf at the 18-minute mark and Carlton stuffed home Jasper鈥檚 second with only 10 seconds to play. Tied at two after one.
The second period was sleepy, but as the number of non-calls mounted, the game started to slide out of control. Koss, Jasper鈥檚 power forward, was taking some big hits. Our kids were shut out, but Wabasca got one past Fawcett and would take a one-goal lead to the dressing room.
In the third, Jasper pulled out of their skid. Koss tied it for the Bears three minutes in, but the Eagles reclaimed their lead 20 seconds later. Then Nash Hilworth found the back of the net to bring Jasper even at four, and Carlton would give Jasper their first lead of the game at the five-minute mark, converting a Golla, Dexter passing play. Oeggerli made it 6-4 about 90 seconds later, but Wabasca replied immediately to draw to within one. It was beginning to look like the first team to 20 would take this one.
Carlton and Koss both scored for the Bears in the next five minutes, digging Wabasca in deeper. But Jasper continued to teeter as Wabasca kept up the physical play and got one of their own to pull back to within two goals. Donovan was huge, but with two minutes to play, the Eagles鈥� coach pulled their goalie and with the extra skater Wabasca got one more. That would not be enough, and Jasper skated away with a hard-fought 8-7 victory.
The Bears take their two-game winning streak into this weekend鈥檚 home tournament. There鈥檒l be lots of hockey starting Saturday morning (Feb. 4) until Sunday afternoon (Feb. 5) at the Jasper Arena. I鈥檒l see you in the stands.
John Wilmshurst Special to the 51暗网
