The Barrhead Steelers gave it all they had, but came up short in the end.
In Game 1, the third-place Steelers got outworked and outbattled, resulting in a 2-1 defeat to the second-place PAC Spruce Grove Saints.
On Feb. 23, the Saints moseyed into town for Game 2 of their playoff series, hoping to end the Steelers’ playoff run.
Unfortunately for the Saints, it didn’t turn out that way, as the feisty Steelers tied their playoff series at 1-1, with a 4-2 win at the Barrhead Agrena.
“We played our simple system to a T; we’ve been preaching the system since the beginning and it finally paid off,” said Steelers coach Daniel Lefebvre.
The Steelers were anchored by the stellar play of veteran goaltender Ian Wierenga, who is in his last year of midget hockey.
“He’s a solid competitor and one of the leaders on the team,” said Lefebvre.
The contest opened without either team finding the back of the net, despite the Steelers controlling the tempo for the majority of the period.
At the halfway point of the first, the game was delayed due to a piece of glass being dislodged from behind the Saints net, following an aggressive forecheck by the Steelers’ forwards.
In the second period, the Steelers scored all the goals they needed to win the game.
Jorrey Jensen, Jonathan Cyr, Bo Fortin and Spencer Voight all potted goals for the home team.
The Steelers kept up the pressure in the third period.
“We told our crew not to sit on the lead, but to continue pushing harder and harder,” said Lefebvre.
The strategy worked out well for the Steelers, as they managed to keep the Saints at bay and preserve their lead until the final buzzer.
“The coaching staff and I were very pleased by the play of our team and the level of intensity the boys maintained. We just battled harder than the Saints did, and that turned out to be the difference,” said Lefebvre.
“In Game 2 our intensity level was higher than in Game 1. We looked like a playoff team wanting to win, winning battles every chance we could,” said Lefebvre.
Game 3 was played in Spruce Grove on Feb. 27.
Unfortunately, the Steelers dropped the deciding game to the Saints 4-2, despite controlling the entire first period.
“If we would have capitalized on our chances, the game would have been totally different,” said Lefebvre.
The Steelers set the tone early and refused to quit in a game that was very physical.
Following a tough first period that saw the Saints take a 2-0 lead, the Steelers responded in the second with two goals of their own to tie the game.
But the Saints reclaimed the lead by capitalizing on two lucky bounces off the end boards.
“We had our chances on the power play but just could not make the most of it. It wasn’t our night on the penalty kill either,” said Lefebvre.
The Saints finished the game by clogging up the neutral zone, and stifling the Steelers’ attack.
