The Yorkton RawTec Maulers wrapped up their SMAAAHL regular season with a 4-3 win over the Swift Current Legionnaires followed by back-to-back losses, 7-4 to the Notre Dame Argos and 3-2 to the Moose Jaw Generals; all without four players, Carson Welke, McKenzie Welke, Carson Sass and Tristyn DeRoose, who were away with Team Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games.
The three results give the RawTec Maulers a final regular season record of 20-20-4 for 44 points and seventh place in the SMAAAHL after the regular season, one point ahead of eighth place Moose Jaw (19-20-5, 43 points).
The Tisdale Trojans finished first overall with a 34-7-3 record and 71 points, one up on second place Regina, who ended the season with an impressive 34-8-2 record and 70 points.
The Notre Dame Hounds laid claim to third place with a record of 31-12-1 for 64 points while the Battlefords Stars took fourth overall with a record of 28-15-1, two points ahead of the fifth place Saskatoon Contacts (26-15-3).
The defending league and national champion Prince Albert Mintos finished the regular season in sixth place with 54 points thanks to a 24-14-6 record.
The Beardy鈥檚 Blackhawks (18-25-1), Saskatoon Blazers (14-29-1), Swift Current Legionnaires (10-31-3) and Notre Dame Argos (6-38) missed the playoffs with 37, 29, 23 and 12 points respectively.
Saturday night saw the RawTec Maulers travelled to Moose Jaw for their final game of the regular season.
Koal Roberts opened the scoring midway through the first period with a shorthanded goal to give Yorkton a 1-0 lead, however Moose Jaw鈥檚 Branden Klatt, a Yorkton Terrier prospect, evened the game at one less than four minutes later with a General power play marker.
Taylor Elmy regained the RawTec Mauler one goal lead late in the second period with his third of the season, but a pair of Klatt goals in the third frame not only completed the hattrick for Moose Jaw鈥檚 leading scorer, but also gave the Generals a 3-2 lead; a lead they would not surrender as the RawTec Maulers fell 3-2.
Carter Phair took the loss for the RawTec Maulers stopping 21-of-24 shots while Churchbridge鈥檚 Colby Entz stopped 31-of-33 Yorkton shots for the win.
The RawTec Maulers were also in action last Thursday night against the Notre Dame Argos at Yorkton鈥檚 Farrell Agencies Arena.
Coley Keenleyside put the RawTec Maulers on the board early in the first period with his ninth goal of the campaign, however the visiting Argos scored the next five goals over two periods, a pair by Taylor Runighan and one each by Kirill Klassen, CJ Walker and Spaniard Manuel Manero, before Keenleyside finally got one back for Yorkton.
Roberts cut into the Notre Dame lead just one minute into the third period, however that was as close as the RawTec Maulers would get to a comeback as Walker and Zack Kosteniuk would score for the Argos while the Maulers could generate just one more goal off the stick of diminutive forward Derrick Budz.
Rylan Palchewich took the loss for Yorkton stopping just 17-of-23 shots while Jordan Schmuland picked up his first SMAAAHL win for the Argos.
Following the game RawTec Mauler head coach Dan Cross said that, while the result had no meaning in terms of playoff positioning, he would have still liked to have seen a better effort from his team.
Cross then mentioned that, once again, undisciplined penalties were the crux of the defeat. 鈥淲e seem to take untimely penalties and that was our nemesis here again,鈥� offered coach Cross. 鈥淲e took two four minute head contact penalties and when you do that, you鈥檙e really just shooting yourself in the foot.鈥�
But while the penalties are a negative, Cross also felt that the fact that the Maulers used several AP鈥檚 in the game was a positive. 鈥淲e were able to take a look at some of our AP鈥檚 for next year and give them an opportunity so it鈥檚 not necessarily a bad thing.
鈥淏ut we were still trying to gain momentum for the playoffs, so a win here would have been nice to have.鈥�
Last Tuesday, February 24 saw the RawTec Maulers claim their final victory of the regular season, downing the Swift Current Legionnaires 4-3 on home ice in a game that was rescheduled from Saturday, February 14.
Swift Current jumped out to an early two goal lead on goals by Connor Odelein and Kevin Bendall in the first period, however a pair of Yorkton goals in the second period, one each by Roberts and Keenleyside, levelled the game at two heading into the final frame.
The third period saw the RawTec Maulers first take a one goal lead on a Logan Casavant goal quickly followed by a two goal lead on Roberts鈥� second of the game, only to have Odelein cut the lead in half with just under five minutes to go.
However that was as close as the visiting Legionnaires would get as Yorkton took the game 4-3.
Phair picked up his 14th win of the season facing 31 shots while Caleb Lumbard took the loss for Swift Current, turning aside 33-of-37 Yorkton shots.
David vs. Goliath
The Yorkton RawTec Maulers鈥� first round SMAAAHL playoff series appears to be a classic 鈥楧avid vs. Goliath鈥� matchup.
On one hand you have the plucky underdog (Yorkton), looking to prove themselves worthy of a spot in the playoffs and on the other hand you鈥檝e got a giant, the Regina Pat Canadians, who, somehow, finished in second place despite leading the league in scoring (208 goals for) and having the league鈥檚 stingiest defence (a league low 98 goals against).
The rosters, too, are complete opposites of one another. Regina has just one first year midget player on its roster, forward Matthew Chekay. Meanwhile Yorkton has eight youngsters in forwards Carson Welke, McKenzie Welke, Derrick Budz and Tristyn DeRoose and defencemen Carson Sass, Tyler Stratechuk, Cody Dubas and Austin Shumanski.
On the other side of the coin the Maulers have just five third year midget players, goaltender Rylan Palchewich, forwards Logan Casavant and Koal Roberts and defencemen Adam Neibrandt and Logan Leslie while the majority of the Pat Canadian roster are third year midget players.
Offensively the two teams could not be any more different. Rookie right winger Logan Casavant led the RawTec Maulers in scoring throughout the regular season with 16 goals and 17 assists for 33 points. Regina鈥檚 Tyran Brown also had 33 points (19 goals, 14 assists) throughout the regular season.
The difference? While Casavant leads the RawTec Maulers in scoring, Brown sits in seventh place on his team鈥檚 offensive depth chart behind Tyler Adams (nine goals, 27 assist, 36 pts), Conner Chaulk (22 goals, 23 assists, 45 pts), Jake Tesarowski (10 goals, 37 assists, 47 pts), Arthur Miller (31 goals, 23 assists, 54 pts), Riley Woods (22 goals, 37 assists, 59 pts) and Owen Sillinger (25 goals, 39 assists, 64 pts).
However Mauler head coach Dan Cross is well aware of the firepower that the Pat Canadians bring to the ice every game. 鈥淭hose guys have shown that they can put up some big numbers, it鈥檚 not a surprise to us at this point in the season,鈥� offered Cross. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just going to have to be a team effort. We鈥檙e going to have to get in some lanes and block some shots.鈥�
In addition to blocking some shots, Cross also feels his team needs to use their bodies in a little more aggressive way. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e a little more of a skating team, more offensively skilled than us,鈥� offered Cross. 鈥淲e鈥檙e a little more of a grittier team than they are so we鈥檙e going to try and initiate as much contact as we can.
鈥淭heir offensive guys are not overly big guys so we鈥檙e going to try to bang them as much as we can whenever we have an opportunity to do so and in a long series we鈥檒l hope that that helps us prevail.鈥�
The two teams faced each other four times throughout the SMAAAHL regular season. Regina won three games, beating the Maulers 6-2, 7-3 and 3-2 (OT) while Yorkton managed just one win, a 2-1 shootout victory early in the season.
Regina also defeated Yorkton twice in the preseason by scores of 6-4 and 6-5 (OT).
Next up
The next action for the Yorkton RawTec Maulers will be tonight (Wednesday) when they travel to Regina for Game One of their Best-of-Five first round series.
Game Two is tomorrow (Thursday) at the Farrell Agencies Arena for an 8:00p.m. start.
Game Three will be in Regina on Sunday, March 8 while Game Four (if needed) will be in Yorkton on Monday, March 9 at 8:00p.m. at the Farrell Agencies Arena.
Game Five, once again if needed, will take place in Regina this coming Wednesday.
