John Wilmshurst | Special to the 51°µÍø
Welcome to Jasper Fuchsia. Your editorial last week shamed me into realizing that hockey language is a real barrier to the love of hockey.Â
To draw you further into the other beautiful game, and, with apologies to the Old Sod, this week’s instalment of the Bearcat update is straight out of Fleet Street.
The Bearcats played a brace of away matches at the weekend; Saturday a rematch against Westlock and Sunday in Fort Saskatchewan against the struggling Rangers.
If you recall, almost a fortnight back, the Jasper Bantam Bearcats mounted a brilliant, late-innings home comeback to best the Westlock Warriors 7 to 6.
Narky, the Warriors were seeking revenge on Saturday, as their blokes entered the pitch swinging. They immediately forced Jasper onto their backfoot.
It was only proper then that the Bearcats’ defensive four rose to the challenge in the early going.
Four minutes in, Westlock sprung a forward onside, only to have him tracked down by defenders Jacob Bouchard and Michael Hayashi before he could get a solid touch.
Bearcats’ other sweepers, Dexter Fawcett and Jacob Bartziokas, kept the aggressive Warrior attack far from the Jasper penalty area.
Tied nil-nil at the midpoint of the first period, Sebastian Golla put Jasper on the scoreboard, converting a three-way passing play from Owen Kearnan and Tanner Carlton with a Warrior booked for head contact.
One naught Jasper.
Westlock equalized early in the second, and the rest of the match was a seesaw event that neither side seemed to want to take control of.
Bearcat striker Mac Carmichael almost gave Jasper a commanding two-marker lead in the second with an on net deflection that was just held by the Westlock keeper.
The score stood at 3 to 2 for the Warriors after 40 minutes, and then quickly 4 to 2 as Westlock scored early in the third frame.
But then Jasper’s big lads showed up to play.
Kearnan chipped Jasper’s third goal over a sprawling Westlock keeper and then again with six minutes to time, to tie it at four.
Westlock reclaimed a one-goal lead with five minutes to full-time.
But with two and a half to play, Golla completed his hattrick and the game would end in a 5 to 5 draw.
Man-of-the-match, Carmichael for some inspired play in the area. This lad is coming on.
Sunday’s fixture in Fort Saskatchewan was a lightly contested affair, with the Rangers struggling of late and the Bearcats ascending.
This was a chance for the entire Jasper lineup to shine.
Kearnan gave the Bearcats an early one-goal lead that stood until the late stages of the second period.
Rowan Koss almost tipped in a Bartziokas cross - the Ranger’s keeper made a smashing save.
Seconds later, with Liam Crozier controlling the puck in the corner, Kalen Sawchuk muscled his way to the penalty area, stayed onside and redirected Crozier’s cross into the back of the net.
The assembled crowd was chuffed at Jasper’s two-score lead going into the second intermission.
The Rangers clawed back to within one goal with three minutes to play, spoiling Bearcat keeper Donovan Fawcett’s duck.
Ty Crozer, who must have been knackered for the pace of his play on Sunday, flipped in a sweet try seconds later and Carlton sealed it with an empty netter seven seconds before full time.
Final tally, Jasper 4, Fort Saskatchewan 1. Man-of-the-match, Ty Crozier who was a ledge from start to finish.
This weekend, the Bearcats play Edson at home on Friday at 6:45 p.m. then hit the motorway for Devon and Vegreville. I’ll be in the terraces.
