SEMHL final pushed to a winner-takes-all game 7
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There couldn’t be a more fitting end to the South East Manitoba Hockey League season. After a season battling for supremacy, the best two teams in the league will play a decisive game seven in the league’s finals in Ste Anne March 23.
The Ste Anne Aces will be searching to complete a three-peat, while the expansion Springfield Winterhawks, full of former Aces, will be looking to nab their own glory.
There nearly wasn’t a game seven to play. The Aces looked to be cruising to an easy victory in game six, before a flurry of offense from the Springfield Winterhawks turned a 6-2 hockey game into a 6-6 tie and sent the crowd inside the Oakbank arena into a frenzy. Not even a disallowed goal could stem the tide, as the Winterhawks struck twice in the final minute of the second period to eat into the lead, before finally tying the game mid-way through the third.
It took a spectacular individual effort for Ste Anne to restore their lead, with Adam Hughesman dancing around a defender to turn a two-on-two rush into a two-on-one, setting up Cody Fowlie for an easy game-winner, capping off an incredible game six which will be remembered by local senior hockey fans for a long time.
“It’s perfect, it’s exactly what everyone scripted” Aces captain Brenden Walker said after game six.
Walker personally poured fuel on the budding rivalry with his last-minute insurance marker, winding up for a massive slapshot while closing in on a breakaway, firing the puck into Springfield’s empty net. The Winterhawks swarmed the captain, but referees were able to restore order.
“It was to send a message,” Walker said with a chuckle.
“It’s Springfield, there’s no love here.”
Fans were lining up outside the building at 6 p.m. for game six, with the doors locked well before puck drop with the arena at fire code capacity. A similarly full building is expected in Ste Anne for game seven, which is set to begin at 3 p.m.
“It’s gonna be a jammed house, it’s going to be awesome,” Walker said.
“We’ve got to eliminate the mistakes that are costly for us. It’s going to be a close one, and I can’t wait for Sunday.”
In other action around the province, the St Malo Warriors took a 1-0 lead in the Capital Region Junior Hockey League finals thanks to a second overtime marker from Brady Gregoire.
The Steinbach Pistons won the first playoff game inside the Southeast Event Centre, coming from behind in the third period to beat portage 3-1. They have a 1-0 lead in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League quarterfinals. Niverville lost 1-0 in game one of their series against Winkler.
The Eastman Selects have a 2-0 lead in the Manitoba Female Hockey League finals, defeating the Winnipeg Avros 3-0 in game two. A potentially decisive game three will take place in Niverville March 23, with puck drop at 2:30 p.m.