MOOSEJAWTODAY.COM -- Denton Mateychuk’s hockey season has finally come an end.
The former Moose Jaw Warriors defenceman and the Cleveland Monsters dropped a 3-2 decision in overtime to the Hershey Bears in Game 7 of the American Hockey League Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday night, capping a storied campaign for the Warriors captain.
Mateychuk’s arrival in Cleveland shortly after the Warriors celebrated the first Western Hockey League championship in team history kicked off a heroic comeback by the Monsters, who came a single win away from pulling off a reverse sweep.
The Monsters trailed the best-of-seven series 3-0 and were down to their last life when Mateychuk played his first AHL playoff game, and their 3-2 win in that contest changed the tone of the series.
Mateychuk picked up his first AHL assist in Cleveland’s 5-1 win in Game 5 and then assisted on the overtime winner in the Monster’s 3-2 victory in Game 6.
That set the stage for Game 7 in Hershey, and right off the hop, Mateychuk contributed once again. The Columbus Blue Jackets first round pick drew the primary assist as former Edmonton Oil Kings forward Trey Fix-Wolansky opened scoring with 58 seconds left in the first period.
Working on the power play, Mateychuk found Fix-Wolansky at the side of the Bears net, and he’d bang home his own rebound to give Cleveland a 1-0 lead.
You can check out that goal right here.
Trey Fix-Wolansky on the power play 馃毃
— y - Cleveland Monsters (@monstershockey)
Hershey took a 2-1 lead into the third period, and after Cleveland tied things up with five minutes remaining, Garrett Roe scored the overtime winner for the Bears at the 7:38 mark.
Hershey captain Dylan McIlrath -- who played for the Warriors from 2008-2012 -- had a shot on net and was even in plus-minus.
The Warriors connections don’t end there, either, as former standout forward Cody Beach was one of the referees in Game 7.
Now, Mateychuk turns his attention to an off-season preparing for his professional career in earnest.
The 19-year-old could return to the Warriors as an overager next season, but as his performance in the AHL postseason would indicate -- three assists in four must-win games while receiving power play time -- that’s unlikely nearly to the point of impossibility.
Instead, Mateychuk will undoubtedly receive a long look at Blue Jackets camp this fall and should he not crack their line-up, will likely end up in Cleveland full time.
McIlrath and the Bears will now have a chance to defend their AHL championship in the Calder Cup Final when they take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
