CANORA — “It’s Canora! It’s Rocanville! It’s a battle of first-place teams tonight at the Canora Civic Centre!”
That’s how the Voice of the Cobras, Pat Miechkota, got the fans fired up for the highly-anticipated Jan. 6 matchup between the two top teams in the SEHL so far this season; the 7-1 Cobras versus the Rocanville Tigers, winners of eight straight to start the season.
The Cobras left no doubt as to which was the better team on this night, taking an early lead and rolling to an impressive 6-2 win.
“We were totally ready to play,” was how Cobras Coach Darren Schwartz described his team’s effort.
A goal by Skyler Hladun and a pair by Scott Mickoski had the Cobras up by 3-0 before the first period was half over. Coach Schwartz said the game could have gone either way in the first few minutes.
“They had us hemmed in early for the first shift or two,” said Schwartz. “But our guys were patient, played well on defense, didn’t panic, and then we came back and got a goal. That started everyone on our team going. We hadn’t really been pressured like that all season, but we didn’t get away from our game plan. I was really happy with that.”
The two goals by Mickoski stretch his hot streak with the stick to nine goals in his last three games.
Kody Rock of Canora and Logan Foster also lit the lamp for the Cobras in the first period, stretching their lead to 5-1 heading into the second.
The Tigers opened the second-period scoring to cut their deficit to 5-2 and for a moment it looked like the home team might be in trouble, but goalie Rylan Palchewich of Canora stepped up.
“Rocanville is in first place in the North Division for a reason, they can strike at any time,” said Schwartz. “Rylan made some big saves, and then Logan Foster scored again for us to make it 6-2. That’s what we need, everyone stepping up to help the team.”
The third period was scoreless, but the Canora fans were entertained by a big win by the Cobra’s Skyler Hladun in a fight with Dylan Haney of the Tigers.
“Rocanville was starting to run around, and it was great that Skylar stuck up for his teammates,” said Schwartz.
“The fans were great all night. I told the players, ‘This is what happens when you win.’ We really have great fans.”
The announced attendance for the Rocanville game was 292.
Against Cote
The night before, the Cobras travelled to Kamsack to face the high-scoring Cote Selects, who had scored 39 goals in their previous four games, all wins.
But the Cobras started fast in the first period, and skated to a surprisingly easy 15-2 win.
“We scored two goals in the first minute and set the tone for the game,” said Schwartz. “We came out and we were focused and ready to play.”
One of the keys to the game came from the penalty box. The Selects accumulated a total of 56 minutes in penalties, as opposed to only 10 for the Cobras. Canora’s power play made the home team pay, firing home three power play goals.
“The Cote players got behind and got frustrated,” said Schwartz. “They tried to do extra things and ended up taking penalties, which put their team in jeopardy.”
Scott Mickoski led the Cobras attack with four goals and four assists. Kody Rock added a pair of goals and four assists. Captain Ryley Stefanyshyn matched Mickoski and Rock by also chipping in with four helpers. Other goal scorers were Skylar Hladun and Troy Zulyniak with two each, and Grady Wolkowski and Tomas Hauber of Canora, Cole Rathgeber, Austin Severson and Logan Foster added singles.
Against Churchbridge
In the first game after Christmas, the Cobras hosted the Churchbridge Imperials on Dec. 30 and skated to a 7-4 win.
But Coach Scwartz was not pleased with his team’s performance.
“It was a game where we didn’t play our best. We weren’t ready to play right from the start, even though we scored first. I was expecting a game like that, it happens once in a while. It came after a stretch of games where we had been playing really well.
“We did find a way to win, which is always good.”
The Cobras didn’t practice over Christmas, which may have been a contributing factor.
“I told them, ‘teams are looking to prove something against you, now that you’re in first place.’ We have to be ready to play every night.”
Canora never trailed, led by Scott Mickoski with a had trick and one assist. Casey Mydonick and Kody Rock of Canora, along with Logan Foster, each contributed a goal and an assist. Cole Rathgeber scored the other goal for the winners.
Against Preeceville
On Dec. 22, the Cobras outclassed the visiting Preeceville Pats 12-1.
“That was a very good game for us,” said Coach Schwartz. “We had to be ready to play. We had new uniforms, it was the last game before Christmas, we had a big crowd, there was a lot going on. I was concerned they might be distracted, but the players showed that they were focused on the game.
“The Pats have some new players and have been improving. We had to get off to a good start, and we did. We showed that we were ready, and led 6-0 after first period.”
Blake Foster played his first game of the season in goal for the Cobras.
“He played well and stayed focused,” said Scwartz. “He only faced 15 shots, so staying focused in a game like that can be a challenge. I was impressed with our team defence, keeping the shots down like that.”
Logan Foster led the way on offense for the Cobras, with three goals and three assists. Kody Rock and Ryley Stefanyshyn each also had hat tricks and added one assist. Other goal scorers were William Hauber and Tyler Ostoforoff of Canora, and Austin Severson, who also had an assist. Vaughn Wilgosh of Canora and Cole Rathgeber each had a pair of helpers.
The wins improve Canora’s winning streak to seven in a row. In the last four games, they have scored 40 goals and only given up nine. The Cobras hit the road for their next two games; Friday (Jan. 12) in Wapella and Saturday (Jan. 13) at Ituna. The next home game is Jan. 20 when Cote will pay a visit to Canora, no doubt looking for revenge.
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