SOUTHEAST SASKATCHEWAN - The regular season has come to an end, and now it’s time for the postseason in the Big Six Hockey League.
Eleven games were played in a four-day span from Sunday to Thursday to wrap up the regular season. The Yellow Grass Wheat Kings knocked off the Arcola-Kisbey Combines 9-2 in the lone game on Thursday.
Four games were played on Friday night. The Redvers Rockets beat the Moosomin Rangers to clinch the regular season title. Also, the Carlyle Cougars doubled up the Wawota Flyers 6-3, the Bienfait Coalers trounced the Kipling-Windthorst Oil Kings 9-2 and the Midale Mustangs defeated the Combines 9-4.
Four more games happened on Saturday. The Huskies routed the Flyers 9-1, the Rockets blanked the Wheat Kings 11-0, the Mustangs defeated the Cougars 10-2, and the Coalers outgunned the Combines 17-6 in one of the highest-scoring games in recent Big Six memory. Bienfait had a 10-3 lead after the first period.
Two games were played on Sunday to finish off the season. The Huskies defeated the Wheat Kings 6-1 and the Rangers beat the Coalers 8-5.
Redvers finished first overall with a 19-1 record and 38 points. The Rockets have won 19 consecutive games after losing their opening game of the season to Oxbow. The Huskies were second at 16-3-1 for 33 points, and the Rangers were third at 16-4 and 32 points. The Red Devils, who won the league championship last season, were fourth at 15-5 and 30 points.
The Coalers came fifth at 11-9 and 22 points, followed by the Cougars (9-10-1, 19 points), the Wheat Kings (8-11-1, 17 points) and the Mustangs (8-11-1, 17 points) to round out the playoff teams.
The Flyers (4-15-1, nine points), the Oil Kings (4-16, eight points) and the Combines (0-20) missed the playoffs.
Bud Holloway of the Rangers led the league in scoring with 37 goals and 76 points in 20 games. Presten Kopeck of Redvers was second with 19 goals and 65 points in 19 games.
Cody Matthewson of Redvers led the league in goals against average at 1.70. Mason Plews of the Red Devils was second at 1.75.
The playoff matchups will see the Rockets play the Mustangs, the Huskies take on the Wheat Kings, the Rangers versus the Cougars and the Red Devils play the Coalers. The latter series will be a rematch of their hard-fought first-round matchup from a year ago, which Carnduff won in three games.
The quarter-finals will be best-of-three matchups. Dates for the games were not immediately available.
