聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 聽 The Arcola/Lampman Imperial Combines Bantam team have had great success this year and are seeing this correspond to their playoff run within the Moose Mountain Minor Hockey League.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Finishing the league in second place, just behind the Redvers Rockets, the Imperial Combines racked up 34 points in the regular season.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 Reaching playoffs they faced Milestone. Milestone was ranked seventh in the league of 10 and the Imperial Combines were confident in their abilities heading into the match up. Handling Milestone in two games the Imperial Combines were off to compete against the Carnduff Red Devils.
The Carnduff Red Devils, who had earned second in the league standings with 33 points, were sure to be a tough battle for the Imperial Combines. The first game was close with the Arcola/Lampman team taking the first game 8-6 and the second game easily with a score of 7-3 taking them to the finals.
Meanwhile the Redvers Rockets, ranked number one in the league following the regular season, lost out to the Radville Nationals who had been ranked fourth.
This meant Arcola/Lampman would face the Nationals in the final. The first game was held in Lampman on Wednesday, March 18, with the Imperial Combines taking the win at a score of 9-7.
An exciting game it could have gone either way as the Imperial Combines posted the first two goals in the first, followed by two goals by the Nationals tying the game. The second period opened with a goal by Radville, which was answered quickly by two back to back goals by the Imperial Combines. Radville earned another goal, which was again answered by two from Arcola/Lampman. With 20 seconds left Radville took another goal, but before the time was up the Imperial Combines answered with a goal at 12 seconds left in the second.
Heading into the third the score was 8-6. The Nationals came out determined scoring a goal in the first few minutes of play, but the Imperial Combines held them off for the rest of the period while still putting on the pressure they took a final goal with just under seven minutes of play left.
The Imperial Combines went to Radville on Friday, March 20, with a chance to earn the title. Here the boys played hard, but were unable to come away with the win.
In the first period Arcola/Lampman were up 2-1, but the Nationals came out hard in the second racking up four goals. The Imperial Combines answered with two of their own.
Entering the third period with a deficit to make up they were unable to get anything going, while the Nationals took another four goals. The final count was Radville 9, Arcola/Lampman 4.
This meant the series would go to three and the determining game would be held on home ice on Monday, March 23.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 With the Nationals scoring in the first period, the Imperial Combines would hold them off for the rest of the game. Arcola/Lampman fought hard and their efforts as a team culminated in the final period with three goals, two back to back, at 13:41 and 13:49, from Reid Folk both assisted by Dawson Birnie. Folk also got the final goal which was assisted by Rylan Raynard and Brendon Hughes.
聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽聽 This win meant the boys had earned the title of the Moose Mountain Minor Hockey League鈥檚 Bantam Champions with a 3-1 win over the Nationals in game three.
