MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Through the first 23 minutes of the Western Hockey League Cup semifinal between Saskatchewan and Alberta, the team from the Land of Living Skies could do no wrong,
From that point on, the shoe was completely on the other foot.
The end result saw Alberta score eight straight goals before going on to a 9-5 victory and booking their spot in the final on Sunday afternoon in Red Deer.
The annual tournament features the top 2009-born (15-year-old) players in western Canada, with most eithe drafted or listed by WHL clubs. Each province sends an all-star team, with the event acting as the first step in the Hockey Canada Program of Excellence.
Nipawin’s Blake Chorney (Vancouver Giants) opened scoring at 5:18 of the first and Sturgis’ Trae Peterson (Tri-City Americans) made it a 2-0 Saskatchewan lead with 3:03 to play as they took the lead out of the opening frame.
Chorney and Saskatoon’s Cash Arcand-Vandale (Red Deer Rebels) scored 1:40 apart early in the second to give Saskatchewan a 4-0 edge, but that would be the last good news on the day for the team in green.
Alberta scored three goals through the remainder of the second period before going on an absolute blitz with six third-period markers to secure their commanding win.
Matthew Hilderman (Seattle Thunderbirds) scored four goals in that span, while Brock England (Seattle Thunderbird) scored a pair to go along with a goal and three points from Mirco Dufour (Everett Silvertips) and single markers from Jagger John (Saskatoon Blades) and Ossie Mcintyre (Spokane Chiefs).
Chorney finished off his hat trick with 3:11 to play in the game, but Saskatchewan would get no closer thanks to a Hilderman empty-netter with 1:59 remaining.
Regina’s Adam Muntain (Spokane Chiefs) had 42 saves while going the distance in goal for Team Sask, while Leif Oaten (Lethbridge Hurricanes) stopped 24 for Alberta.
Saskatchewan will now face B.C. in the bronze medal game after Manitoba took a 4-2 win in the other semifinal, with puck drop at 10:15 a.m. Sunday.
Alberta will face Manitoba for gold at 1 p.m.
