The North Central Hockey League season came to an unceremonious end for the Athabasca Aces on the weekend.
Having fallen behind one game to none in their best-of-three opening round playoff series with the Edson Ice the weekend before, the Aces faced a ëdo or dieí scenario when they hosted the second game of the series at the Athabasca Regional Multiplex on Saturday night.
A win would force a decisive third game in Edson on Sunday, while a loss would mean the end of another season.
Unfortunately for the Aces and their fans (who packed the stands at the Multiplex for the game), the local team was unable to break their curse of losing out in the first round, suffering a 7-5 defeat at the hands of the Ice.
The Aces have yet to win a playoff series in their short history, and head coach Curtis Creaser was eager to see his team break that streak, but it wasnít to be.
ìItís very disappointing,î said the coach after the game. ìWe expected a lot more coming into this season.î
The loss in the playoffs didnít negate the successes of the regular season, but it was hard to take note of anything else immediately after the disappointing loss.
The Aces never gave up during the game (or the short series), losing the first game 6-5 in overtime and continually fighting back in the second game. They trailed often and kept scoring to bring the game closer, even tying it 5-5 at one point in the final frame, but ultimately the Ice would not be denied.
On this night, the coach felt his team was once again plagued by inconsistency. They needed to deliver an uncompromising effort to save their season, but that didnít materialize.
ìIt seems when we have a full bench, we look to the guy next to us. Itís very frustrating,î said Creaser.
Consistency will certainly be a watchword with next yearís team.
But as the 2012-13 season reached its close, the coach once again offered his thanks to the teamís fans, sponsors and other supporters.
ìIt makes for a great atmosphere. We really enjoy playing in front of the fans.î
