John Wilmshurst  | Special to the 51°µÍø
It’s the small things.
At this time in the season, all the players on the Jasper Bantam Bearcats are veterans. They’ve played 24 league games, survived 40 or so practices and their home tournament.
The big things in the game - the breakout, the cycle, penalty kill and power play - are by now second nature. Every team is in the same boat, so it becomes the little stuff in the game that is the difference between an entry in the win or loss column in March.
Last weekend, the Bearcats traveled to Leduc in the first game in the second round of the playoffs.
This time with a full roster, save Donovan Fawcett who was still unavailable for play, Jasper was ready to take on the Roughnecks and redeem their short-handed, 11 nothing first round loss against Drayton Valley. No small thing.
Because both teams sport tough, seasoned and smart defense, the game had an odd pace, with transit through the neutral zone and getting possession in the neutral zone extremely tough, but long offensive zone residence.
The game was back and forth, but not end to end with both teams applying pressure for consecutive shifts and goaltenders at both ends digging deep as the shots came in bunches. Jasper had Carter Eigenseher on loan from Devon between the pipes for this game, and he had a heck of a game for the Bearcats, facing 41 shots over three periods.
Eigenseher stopped all 18 shots he faced in the first and got a lot of help from Michael Hayashi and Dexter Fawcett blocking shots.
With Jasper’s high scorers getting a slow start, the Bearcats’ now seasoned rookies Rowan Koss, Mac Carmichael and Kalan Sawchuk got their game going.
Nothing that would show up on the scoresheet, but lots of great work along the boards and in the corners.
With 10 seconds to play in the first, Sebastian Golla picked up the puck at the Roughnecks’ blueline, walked in and wired a slapper on the Leduc goalie’s pads.
Tanner Carlton, doing the little things right, drove for the net, picked up the rebound and buried it top cheeze with five seconds on the clock. One nothing Jasper after 20 minutes.
Early in the second, Ty Crozer made it two nothing for Jasper.
Ty had another spectacular game and was rewarded for jumping up on a two-on-one with Golla, again driving to the net and making no mistake on the cross-ice feed.
This gave the Bearcats some jump, and they dominated the second frame, peppering the net with 15 shots and dominating possession.
But Ty’s goal was all they could muster, in the second, and they gave one up just after mid-way to make this one exciting. The score stood at 2 to 1 Jasper heading into the second intermission.
The third period was no holds barred. Jasper jumped up to a 3 to 1 lead early on as Hayashi found Carlton with a stretch pass and Tanner made his breakaway goal look easy.
A few minutes later the Roughnecks pulled back to within one, scoring on the fast break with 15 minutes to play.
Three minutes after that, the Roughnecks tied it on a wrap around that just snuck in past the post.
Still pressing, Leduc looked like they were going to take the lead minutes later, on another wrap-around attempt, but Jacob Bartziokas pinned the Roughnecks’ captain’s stick and prevented a shot.
Doing the little things right.
Everyone in the stands thought that Owen Kearnan had reclaimed Jasper’s lead with five minutes to play, but his net-crashing slot slid just past the post as the net came off its moorings.
No goal. Still tied at three.
Forced to kill a penalty in the final minute and a half, Jasper’s big boys got the little things right.
D-man Jacob Bouchard and winger Liam Crozier muscled the puck out of the Bearcats’ zone time and again to keep Leduc off the scoreboard.
The game ended tied at three after 60 minutes.
With a two-game, total-goal format, nothing is solved in this one. Game two is in Jasper, 1:30 p.m. this Sunday and will be the Bearcats’ final game of the season.Â
This will be no small thing. I’ll see you in the stands.
