by Stephen Dafoe
The Morinville Jets and North Edmonton Red Wings entered the capital Junior Hockey League playoff quarterfinals over the weekend and currently sit with a game apiece.
The series started in Edmonton Friday night with the Jets emerging with a 2-1 overtime win, the Jets third in as many games.
Both sides were scoreless through the first two frames, the Jets outshooting the Red Wings by a margin of 24-19 over 40 minutes. The final period saw Regan Regimbald open scoring for the Jets 37 seconds into the period on a powerplay opportunity. That goal was answered by the Red Wings with 1:42 left in the game to push it to overtime.
Ryan Denton earned the Jets the game-winning goal with 4:59 left in overtime to give the Jets game one of the best-of-five series.
Sunday night, the game came to Morinville and, for the most part, looked like anyone’s game.
Scoreless after one, the Jets trailed the Red Wings 2-1 heading into the third but had one minute of a two-man advantage carrying over into the third.
Affiliate player Graeme Hampton evened the score on that powerplay chance 54 seconds into the frame. Roughly a minute later, the Red Wings scored to make it 3-2, but 30 seconds later Jets’ affiliate player Cache Schiler made it 3-3.
It would be the Jets’ last goal of the game. The Red Wings moved the needle to 4-3 at 14:44 and push ahead to 5-3 with 7:44 left in the game. After the Jets pulled their goalie in the final minute, the Red Wings pocked their sixth and final goal into an empty net with 28 seconds left.
Game three takes to the road Wednesday night at Londonderry at 8 p.m. Game four will return to Morinville Saturday night at 8:30 p.m.
