The Estevan PowerTech midget AA Panthers are back in the Saskatchewan Hockey Association’s provincial final. The Panthers defeated the Weyburn Drillers 4-2 on March 8 in Weyburn to win the two-game, total-point south final series 12-3. Estevan took Game 1 8-1 three days earlier. Estevan will face Saskatoon in the provincial final. Game 1 will be played March 18 in Saskatoon and Game 2 will be March 25 at 4 p.m. at Affinity Place. The Panthers dropped the provincial final to the
West Central Wheat Kings last year. In Game 2 against Weyburn, Karli Colpitts scored 2:18 into the first and Jasynn Monteyne tallied 1:46 into the second to give the Panthers a 2-0 lead of Game 2. But Weyburn’s Khloe Bedore scored twice in a 52-second span of the second to tie the game. Game 2 remained tied until late in the third, when Colpitts and Morgan Haygarth scored less than a minute apart to give Estevan a 4-2 lead. “With it being a twogame, total-point series, and
having an 8-1 lead there, it wasn’t our best effort, but the girls played well enough to get the win,” said coach Trevor Morrison. Morgan Fayle was in goal for the win. In league play, the Panthers dropped a 4-3 decision to the Swift Current Broncos in Game 2 of the best-of-three South Saskatchewan Female Hockey League semifinal on Friday. Game 3 was scheduled for March 14. (Results were not available at press time). The Panthers had leads of 1-0 after the first period and 3-2 after two on Friday. Michaella Matthies’ goal with 10:36 to play in the first period was the lone goal of the opening frame. The teams traded goals in the second. Baylee Kirwan scored 4:15 into the second period to tie the game, but Ashton Mago
tiaux scored 3:27 later to restore the one-goal lead. Sara Kendall tied the game again with 9:12 to play in the second, but Marci LeBlanc’s goal with 43 seconds remaining in the period gave the Panthers another lead. Estevan held the lead until late in the third, when Kirwan got her second of the game to tie the match. Then Courtney Funk scored with 3:14 to play in the game. “We played a good game,” said Morrison. “Unfortunately we hit a few posts, and hit the goalie in the head a couple of times … on shots that could have been goals.” Swift Current’s a good, hard-working team that mustered a good 60-minute effort. Fayle was in goal for Game 2.
