The Estevan novice Canucks hockey team won the title in the Moose Mountain Minor Hockey League this season.
Estevan captured the league with a 7-6 victory over the Carlyle Cougars Monday night in Carlyle.
Estevan opened the series with a 5-4 double overtime win March 19 in Carlyle. Kale Kuchinka had a hat trick for Estevan, including the game-winning goal with 8:59 to play in the second extra frame.
Rylan Deichert had the other two goals.
Owen Light scored twice for Carlyle. Knox Valentine and Kirk Rutten also scored.
Carlyle responded with a 7-5 win the following night in Estevan. Deichert and Liam Durr each scored twice for Estevan, while Kuchinka also scored.
Light had four goals for Carlyle, while Terran East had a hat trick.
Game 3 was tied 2-2 after the first period, and Estevan led 5-2 after two. Carlyle outscored Estevan 4-2 in the third, but was never able to draw closer than a goal.
Durr scored three times for Estevan, including the championship clincher with 5:42 to play in the third. Deichert, Kuchinka, Gaige Wasacase and Ryder Martin had Estevan’s other goals.
Light scored thrice for Carlyle, and East had two goals. Hayden Puskas notched the Cougars other goal.
Canucks assistant coach Brad Durr, who coached the team alongside head coach Trevor Deichert and assistant coach Tyler Stead, said the team was committed throughout the season, missing only a few practices.
“They all improved basically from their skating to their puck-handling,” said Durr.
Twenty teams were in the league this season. The Canucks played nine games in the first half of the season, and finished with a 6-2-1 record. Then teams were reseeded for the second half, and grouped into the CCM Division with the other top teams. Estevan and Carlyle finished tied for first with 8-0-1 records.
The Canucks defeated Redvers in the first round and another Estevan team in the semifinal.
Goaltending from Joseph Hozjan was strong throughout the playoffs, Durr said, and the kids made excellent progress this season.
“We played some good teams, so they knew what it would take to win. They would all have to skate and all have to check. The Carlyle team had some pretty skilled kids, so if you gave them time and space, they’re going to make you pay.”
Durr applauded Carlyle for their play during the series, saying they were a worthy opponent. And he knew the Cougars would come out strong in the third period of Game 3.
“We just had to calm the kids down, and told them to go out there and have fun, and go out there and relax a little bit,” said Durr.
The players came a long ways during the season, thanks to the focus on skating and other fundamentals.
“It wasn’t just one or two players doing everything, it was the whole team that stepped it up in the end,” Durr said.
