Two Estevan Strippers hockey teams travelled to Grand Forks, North Dakota, earlier this month for game-action at the 70-team Baron’s Spectacular Hockey Tournament.
The over-40 Strippers lost the A division final in a shootout to the Winnipeg Rock Pile. The Strippers got off to a slow start trailing 3-0 after the first period and 4-1 after two.
After bringing the score to 5-2, thanks to markers by Steve Godfrey and Gord Steeves, with ten minutes left in the game, the Strippers turned it on. Brent Gusikoski, Kevin Toombs and Carl McKenzie tied the score 5-5 by the end of the third period, but despite Jody Waloshin holding Winnipeg to one goal in the shootout the team could not light the lamp in the extra frame.
In their march to the championship final, the over-40 team won their first game with a 13-3 blowout of the Thrift-Shop from Grand Forks. They led 4-1 after the first period and 8-2 after the second. Matt Garagan and Toombs each recorded a hat trick with Garett Fleck and Steeves notching a pair. Singles were scored by McKenzie, Chuck Haines and Wade Young.
The second game against the Beno Tigers ended 9-0 for the Strippers who led 4-0 after one period and 6-0 after two. Haines and Steeves led the way with two goals each, while Godfrey, Garagan, Gusikoski, Troy Moroz and Tony Sernick scored singles.
That win put the team into the semifinal where they met a much tougher Winnipeg Chicken Hawks team. The score was 1-1 after the first with the Strippers falling behind 3-2 after two. The Strippers came on strong in the third scoring three unanswered goals to win 5-3. Scoring for the Strippers were Garagan with two along with singles from Young, Godfrey and Steeves.
The over-55 Strippers team was entered in the over-45 division, as it was the oldest division in the tournament.
They lost their first game to the Tevlon Tigers by an 8-5 score. Tevlon took a 4-1 lead after one period and increased it to 5-1 after two. The Strippers won the third period to make the score more respectable with Lyle Odgers leading the way with two goals and Jim Larter, Ron Coulter and Sean Garagan notching singles.
The second game saw the Strippers fall 7-3 to Grand Forks ACME. The score was 0-0 after the first, but penalties and a bad second period helped ACME to a 6-0 lead after two. Odgers, Coulter and Dave Kosior scored the Stripper third-period goals.
The third game against the Portage Plainsmen was much closer. The Strippers took a 2-1 first-period lead on goals by Coulter and Garagan. Bruce Firth and Tim Bangsund then gave the Strippers a 4-2 lead, but the Plainsmen tied it 4-4 after 40 minutes. Again the Strippers took the lead 5-4 early in the third on a goal by Odgers, but Portage tied the game again at the 10-minute mark. Portage scored the winner on the power play with two minutes remaining.
In their fourth game, the Strippers finally hit the win column with a 7-6 victory over the Winnipeg Jackels. They fell behind quickly as Winnipeg opened the game with two quick goals, but the first period ended 3-2 in favour of the Strippers as Odgers, Firth, and Kosior scored.
Goals by Odgers and Coulter gave the Strippers a 5-3 lead after two. Odgers notched the hat trick and Firth scored his second to give the Strippers a 7-3 lead early in the third, but the Jackels kept pushing and closed the gap to 7-6 with three minutes left. The Strippers made it interesting by taking a late penalty, but Jeff Anson secured the win with some solid goaltending during the kill.
The Strippers 34th Annual Molsons Spring Bust Hockey Tournament will be held April 6 to 10 in Estevan. The tournament has expanded to 40 teams with the addition of two women’s and two over-45 teams.
