John Wilmshurst | Special to the 51暗网
Do you know what I love about watching Jasper鈥檚 bantam hockey team play? It鈥檚 their intelligence.
If you follow hockey at all, intelligence doesn鈥檛 usually jump to mind as the top skill. Fifth or sixth maybe.
But when I watch the Bantam Bearcats play, as I did on a two-game road trip last weekend, I am endlessly impressed at how clever the play, and the players, are.
While being a smarty-pants won鈥檛 win you every game, it sure makes for entertaining hockey.
On Saturday, the Bearcats rocked up in Calahoo to take on the Calahoo Region Knights, a team that Jasper crushed in the pre-season.
The game got off to a positive start, with Jasper netminder Donovan Fawcett stopping a breakaway in the first minute of play.
But turned out to be an ominous sign, as the Knights would jump out to a three nothing lead before Jasper could get their offense going.
And this was as the second period was winding to a close.
Mac Carmichael, a rookie who clearly has some neurons firing, parked himself in front of the net, came up with the puck and cashed in.
On the same shift, he fed Sebastian Golla for the Bearcats鈥� second goal of the game.
The middle frame would end with Jasper down a goal.
Tanner Carlton tied it up for the Bearcats five minutes into the third, burying a wrister from the right faceoff circle.
Game on.
This whole weekend, the Crozier brothers were impressive.
Older bro Liam has picked up his game above the puck; limiting passing options for the other team鈥檚 offense, blocking shots, upping his physical game.
Liam had one of his best games in Calahoo.
Meanwhile, younger brother Ty is using his speed, vision and shot to bring the offensive pressure.
Both are smart, playing towards their strengths.
Against the grain of play, CR broke the tie mid way through the third period and Jasper was just unable to get shots past the Knights鈥� goaltender at the other end.
Add some unconventional interpretation of the rule book by the officials in the final minutes, and this one was in the books.
The Bearcats would lose 4 鈥� 3 to the CR Knights in a game that was very winnable.
Jasper鈥檚 defense continues to wow me with their intelligent play.
Led by veteran Jacob Bartziokas, the Bearcats blueline workhorses Dexter Fawcett, Michael Hayashi and Jacob Bouchard are patient and smart in the defensive zone and an essential part of the cycle in the offensive zone.
On Sunday in Bon Accord against the CNN Spurs, the defense played a key role in a game that was dominated by special teams.
Jasper had five power plays in the first period alone and converted on two of them.
Carlton and Ty Crozier were responsible for these two markers.
The Spurs halved that lead before the buzzer went ending the first period with Jasper leading two to one.
The way this offense cycles the puck, with or without the man advantage, is a thing of wonder.
True to form, the Bearcats scored their third power play goal as Owen Kearnan made no mistake on a patient give and go with Golla.
Credit Rowan Koss, whose second period breakaway was stopped by the buzzer, for goading CNN into not one, but two too-many-men penalties with some wily puck movement near the bench.
The sputtering Spurs climbed back to within a goal of Jasper five minutes into the second, but then Golla went on a tear.
He scored the Bearcats鈥� fourth and fifth goal before the second period was over and bury the Spurs halfway through the final frame on a powerplay to complete his hattrick.
Kearnan scored his second goal of the game with the time winding down, finishing the Spurs.
The game would finish Jasper 7, CNN 2.
Next Saturday, the Bearcats travel to Hinton to face their local rivals.
Let鈥檚 see if they will still have their thinking caps on.
Scoreboard
Jasper Atom Bears 4 vs Whitecourt 7
Dustin Derksen 3 points, Max Lescard 1 point, Jaifred Mota 1 point聽
Jasper Atom Bears 4 vs Hinton 11
Ethan Gibbons 3 points, Max Lescard 2 points, Jaifred Mota 1 point
Jasper Peewee 8 vs Mayerthorpe 5
Jackson Irwin 1 goal, Paige Hugie 2 points
Jasper Peewee 7 vs CR 2
Drew Kovacs 3 points, Callum Campbell 2 points
Jasper Bantam Bearcats 4 vs CR Knights 3
Jasper Bantam Bearcats 7 vs CNN Spurs 2
