The senior hockey championship series is close to a decisive Game 4 on Friday, so there will be a lot of action in the Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) Finals this weekend.
The Meota Combines are leading the series 3-0 heading into this weekend’s first of potentially two games between them and the Glaslyn North Stars. With a win, they would have won their fourth senior hockey championship in the previous five seasons (2023, ’22, ’18).
forward-combining, According to Aaron Cadrin, the squad is fully focused on the game in front of them going into the weekend, hoping to finish it out and prevent their opponent from gaining any momentum.
“On Friday, we’re going all out, with the intention of finishing strong,” Cadrin stated. “If we don’t need to, we’re not even considering playing a game five.”
All three of the games have been close, with at least one lead change throughout the evening, despite the series being 3-0. Before Meota’s comeback victories, the North Stars had actually led in each of the first three games at different points in time.
Top-line forward Michael Pylypow performed that role in Game 3, scoring two goals, including the actual game-winning goal that came just ahead of the second overtime period. The Combines have been finding a different hero every night to come up with the key goals in their run.
You could see we had all the momentum at that point and it was only a matter of time until we took the lead, Cadrin said. “That was a tough way for them to close out the second and it gave us a ton of momentum in the third.”
However, the Glaslyn North Stars come together with the conviction that the series is still far from over, especially with the return of three important cogs to the lineup for Game 4. This is in contrast to the Combines, who have good cause to believe they can wrap things up this weekend.
Depth forward Darian Clarke and top scorer William Desjarlais, who leads the playoff scoring race with 14 points in just five games, will also be watched for their
“Getting those three guys back is just huge,” head coach, BJ Carey said. “Darren’s a warrior and he’s through-and-through MVP of anybody’s playoff team, diving in front of pucks and doing whatever he can to win. Willie gives us that extra scoring punch, and Darian is a shutdown guy that can also finish, so he just gives us more options to finish those games out.”
Game 4 Friday night in St. Walburg will begin at 8 p.m. If needed, Game 5 will then be played Saturday night back in North Battleford at the ACC at 8 p.m.
