The Athabasca Aces will still be looking for their first playoff series win when they begin their fifth season later this year.
After winning Game One of their NCHL best-of-three opening round playoff match up against Legal by a decisive 7-1 score on Feb. 4, the Aces looked poised to move on to the second round. But the tide of momentum turned swiftly against the Aces in two games in as many days last weekend, as Legal staved off elimination with a 6-4 win at home on Saturday and then came to Athabasca and notched a 6-1 win in Game 3.
The game punched Legal’s ticket for a second-round showdown with the Slave Lake Winterhawks, and left the Aces to wonder what happened to such a promising season.
“It’s a major disappointment,” said Aces head coach Tony Kiselyk after the game.
“I thought we could have gone a round or two, but it didn’t work out for us.”
Team captain Jody Tangedal was equally disappointed with the result.
“This is the most talented team we’ve had in four years, there’s no doubt in my mind,” he said.
“I really think we had a chance to win the whole thing. It’s just very disappointing.”
Neither the coach nor the captain thought the team was significantly outplayed in either game, but in both outings they ran into a hot goaltender they had a hard time solving.
On Sunday, they could only muster one goal despite firing 35 shots at the net.
But in a perfect world the series wouldn’t have reached Game Three, according to the coach.
“Game Two was the one to win,” said Kiselyk, noting that the Aces had a late lead in that game before the Vipers scored two quick goals. That gave them new life in the game and the series, and ultimately deflated the Aces.
“We pushed hard (in Game Three), it just got away from us,” he said. “We had such high hopes … maybe we got a little overconfident after that 7-1 win.”
Whatever the reason for the outcome, the Aces have come to an end to their most successful season yet, in which they finished third in the league. Playoff success still eludes them, however.
“We wanted to be playing a little longer,” said Tangedal.
