CAPS SEASON COMES TO AN END
The Caps lost 3-1 Saturday night in Shoal Lake losing their best of 5 MFMHL Final 3 games to 2 in an intense and hard fought Championship Series to the Yellowhead Chiefs. The game was scorelss after one period as the two teams continued to battle for every inch of ice as was the case throughout the series. The Chiefs would score first in the second period on the power play however the Caps would respond shortly after with Emily Upgang scoring on a redirection when Mekaela Fisher put the puck towards the Chiefs net after receiving a pass from Sheyla Duncan. The teams went into the second intermission tied 1-1. The Caps had numerous quality chances in the last 6-7 minutes of the second period to take the lead however could not make it happen. The third period saw the Chiefs eventually score the game winner on a scramble around the net that bounced off a couple of players before flipping in the air and over McKenna Wild in the Caps net. The Chiefs would secure the win with a goal in the last 30 seconds. The Caps had pulled their goalie and had chances but agin could not find the back of the net including during a 5 on 3 power play where it looked like on a couple of occassions they would tie it but Emma Greenwood made several big saves or the puck would just not bounce the Caps way.
The Caps played with pride, class and left it all on the ice against a very good Chiefs team. The Caps will see several players graduate from the Program and as the Head Coach I say THANK YOU - It has been quite a ride - two trips to the MFMHL Final with a Championship and a trip to Hockey Canada's Esso Cup National Championship. Good Luck to all our Grad Players with their future endeavors.
To the second year players - only 3 of you - you will be leaders next year so keep working hard. To the first year players you are the future and it appears the Caps are in very good shape.
WHAT A GREAT GROUP TO COACH - you all represented the Capitals at the highest level.
The Caps want to congratulate the Chiefs on their Championship and say GOOD LUCK when they host Saskatoon in the Hockey Canada West Regional next weekend.
CAPS TAKE SERIES LEAD
Behind the shutout goaltending of McKenna Wild and an early unassisted shorthanded goal by Emily Upgang the Caps hung on to defeat the Yellowhead Chiefs 1-0 on the road in Shoal Lake to take a 2-1 lead in the Final Series. Upgang stripped a Chiefs defense of the puck in their own end just over 2 minutes into the game and fired a screen shot to the far side of the net giving the Caps the early advantage. This lead would stand up for the entire game with the Caps playing solid defense however McKenna Wild made some huge saves especially on penalty kills as the Caps were shorthanded 8 times including a lengthy 5 on 3 for 1 minute and 26 seconds to end the second period and start the third. Wild was again very good in the last 2 minutes of the game when the Caps were again forced to kill a penalty and the Chiefs would pull their goalie to make it a 6 on 4 advantage. With the win the Caps move into the series lead and now play Friday March 25 at the PCU Centre in Portage - Game Time 7:45 pm.
FINALS EVEN AT 1-1 - LOSE IN 2OT
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CAPS EARN TOUGH FIRST WIN IN MFMHL FINAL
The Caps defeated the Yellowhead Chiefs 2-0 at the PCU Centre in Portage in a game that was not decided until the last 5 minutes as two very good teams hooked up in a hard fought back and forth contest.
Mekaela Fisher scored the game winner on a breakaway with under 5 minutes remaining in the game when Sheridan Oswald chipped the puck past the Chiefs defense in neutral ice after receiving a nice outlet pass from Emily Upgang. Fisher would go in and beat Emma Greenwood in net for the Chiefs high over her shoulder. Sheridan Oswald would then secure the win with an empty goal after the Caps killed off a late penalty that saw the Chiefs pull their goalie to make it a 6 on 4 advantage. The Caps did a good job of defensive zone coverage with Upgang again winning a battle to get the puck out of the zone after receiving the puck from Marisa Fraser.
McKenna Wild stopped 30 shots for shutout win in a very even game that also saw the Caps fire 30 shots at Yellowhead net. Wild made several huge saves especially on the penalty kills as did Greenwood as only one goal was actually scored vs. either netminder.
The Caps now travel back to back to Shoal Lake for games Sunday March 20 @ 4:00 pm and Tuesday March 22 @ 7:30 pm. The back to back games are a result of the MFMHL Executive upholding a Capitals' protest contesting the double OT win by the Chiefs on a penalty shot that should not have been awarded by the officials based on Hockey Canada Rules and resulted in the game winning goal. The MFMHL Executive considered several factors including input from both teams, the officials report and Hockey Manitoba before declaring the original game #1 null and void. The referee awarding the Penalty Shot was open to protest as it was a misinterpretation and an erroneous application of the Playing Rules for allowing a Penalty Shot. As a result the first game of the series was started on the original date of game #2 hosted by the Capitals however the Chiefs have the right to have the next two games based on being the higher seed in the Championship Series.
CAPS EARN SPOT IN MFMHL FINALS
The Caps earned their way back to the MFMHL Championship series and a chance to defend their Hockey Manitoba "AAA" Championship with a hard fought 1-0 win over a tough and determined Pembina Valley Hawks in game 4 Wednesday night at the BDO Centre winning the semi-final series 3-1. The Caps scored the first goal of the game for the first time in the series on the second shift of the first period when Chelsea Hallson banged in shot from the slot, Kelly-Rae Zdan and Marisa Fraser picked assists on the play. Both teams played a tight checking game throughout with limited chances however both goalies had to make some big saves to keep their teams in the game. In the end McKenna Wild would pitch the shutout for the Caps stopping all 21 shots fired her way. Wild was especially strong in the last minute and a half when the Hawks pulled their goalie to secure the win for the Caps.
For the second year in a row the Capitals will now be playing for the MFMHL and Hockey Manitoba's "AAA" Midget Championship plus playing the same opponent as the first place Yellowhead Chiefs moved into the final with a 4-1 win and 3-1 series decision over the Westman Wildcats.
The Caps and Chiefs will be setting up the Championship Seires game schedule shortly with the series opening up on the Chiefs home ice as they are the higher seed. Watch for updates to come.
CAPS STRIKE BACK IN OT
After a tough loss on home ice the Caps traveled to Morden for Game 3 of their MFMHL Semi-Final match up vs. the Pembina Valley Hawks and came away with an exciting 2-1 win in 2OT. The Caps should some real character and were full value for the win outshooting their hosts for the third game in a row and carrying the play from the second period on. The two teams battled through a scoreless first period and it was the Hawks who again scored the first goal of the game just over 7 minutes into the second period sending the Caps into the intermission trailing 1-0 having outshot the Hawks 13-5.
The Caps would keep coming in the third period and it final paid off near the half way point of the period when Sheridan Oswald took a great feed from Emily Upgang in the slot and beat Halle Oswald in net for the Hawks with a great wrist shot inside the far post. The Caps would keep pressing and had several great scoring chances to take the lead in the third period however again Oswald made some big saves with shots on net being 13-5 for the period. Regulation time saw the teams tied at 1-1 heading into the 10 minute first OT period and nothing would be decided with the Caps killing of a very important penalty.
The second OT would see the Caps come out with energy and off of a nice breakout would control the puck into the Hawks zone where Marisa Fraser would get the low to Mekaela Fisher who would feed Sheridan Oswald in the slot and she fired her second of the game through a screen to give the Caps the OT win. McKenna Wild picked up the win for the Caps in net and made some huge saves especially in the third period and first OT when the Caps had some key penalty kills.
The Caps now hold a 2-1 lead in the best of 5 series, Game 4 vs. the Hawks is schedules for Wednesday March 9 at the BDO Centre - Game Time- 7:45 pm.
HAWKS EVEN SERIES
The Caps outshot the visiting Pembina Valley Hawks 41 to 21 however were able to score only once while the Hawks made the most of their opportunities scoring 5 times. The Hawks got out the gate quickly scoring the first goal of the game 15 seconds into the game when the Caps turned over the puck in their own end. The Caps would outshoot the visitors 15-6 in the period however would go into the first intermission trailing 2-0.
The second period saw the Hawks take a 3-0 lead and then the Caps appeared to cut the lead to 3-1 however unfortunately the referee was not in position to see the puck in the net. The Caps would have another goal called back when the Referee felt the Caps' Emily Upgang had kicked the puck into the net. Before the end of the period the Hawks went on to add 2 more goals sending the Caps into the intermission trailing 5-0.
The Caps would continue to create chances in the third period however could not figure out Hawks' netminder Halle Oswald who made numerous quality saves until Amy Klippenstien beat her with a solid wrist from the slot after taking a feed from Lindsey Rutherford.
With the loss the Caps now see themselves deadlocked at 1-1 in their best of 5 semi-final series with the Hawks and must quickly regroup as they travel back to Morden Sunday March 6 for game 3 - game time is set a 5:15.
CAPS STRIKE FIRST IN SEMI-FINAL
The Caps traveled to Morden Wednesday March 2 for the first game of their MFMHL Semi-final Series with the Pembina Valley Hawks and came away with a hardworking road win to take a 1-0 series lead. The Caps won the game 4-2 with an empty net goal sealing the deal. Sheridan Oswald had 2 goals and an assist, Emily Upgang 1 goal and an assist while Mekaela Fisher rounded out the scoring for the Caps, Sheyla Duncan and Bryn Schmidt added assists.
The two teams were tied at each intermission 1- 1 and 2-2 with the Caps earning the win with 2 third period goals. First Sheridan Oswald gave the Caps the lead when she converted a great breakout off a face off from their own end when both Bryn Schmidt and Emily Upgang executed a set play play to perfection leading to an odd man rush for the Caps that saw Oswald drill a great shot under the bar short side. Upgang would seal the deal with a long empty netter off the a bank shot from her own end while McKenna Wild made several key saves especially down the stretch to maintain the win in net.
The Caps now host the Hawks this Saturday at the BDO Centre in Game 2.
CAPS SWEEP DETERMINED SELECTS TEAM
The Caps competed a 3 game sweep of the Eastman Selects on Sunday Feb. 21 at the BDO Centre in Portage however it was anything but easy as the Caps needed OT to complete the 2-1 come from behind victory that puts them through to the MFMHL semi-finals. As with every game played in the series the hardworking determined Selects made the Caps work for every inch of ice. In game 3 like game 2 the Selects would take the first lead of the game however unlike the previous game when the Caps responded right back Eastman would carry their second period lead well into the third period. Raina Rempel continued to be a huge factor in the series and during the third game it looked like she might even be the difference however the Caps finally broke through on their 40th shot of the game when rookie Amy Klippenstien scored the biggest goal of her young midget career when she banged in a rebound off a great point shot from Kiera Shwaluk who had taken a nice feed from Lindsey Rutherford leading to an a rookie goal. The Caps continued to press firing 17 shots at the Selects net in the third period however could not produce the winner in regulation time, for the game the Caps outshot Eastman 47-17.
The first 10 minute OT saw the Caps come out strong right off the faceoff and it would pay off when Amy Klippenstien would again be a factor taking the puck hard to the net and getting off a shot that left a nice rebound for Chelsea Hallson to pounce on and bang in for the game and series winner. The Caps finished off the Selects on their 47th shot of the game. Lacey Friesen seeing her first action of the playoffs in net for the Caps was solid allowing only 1 goal on 17 shots and making several huge saves during the game as the Caps would give up solid scoring chances pressing to score.
The Caps now move onto the MFMHL Semi-finals where they will face off against the Pembina Valley Hawks for the second year in a row. The two teams split their regular season games 2-2 each winning both games in the other teams rink. The series will commence after Sunday Feb 28. with the Hawks holding home ice advantage and hosting game 1.
CAPS TAKE GAME 2 ON THE ROAD
The Caps traveled to St. Malo on Saturday night Feb. 20 for game 2 of their best of 5 series vs. the Eastman Selects and came away with a 6-1 win. The game was a hard fought contest that saw the teams head into the first intermission tied 1-1 and into the third period 2-1 before the Caps opened up the game with 4 goals in the final frame.
The Selects got on the scoreboard first when a perfect screen shot from the point found the far corner of the net past McKenna Wild who was perfect for the remainder of the game. The Caps would even the game late in the first period when Chelsea Hallson drove the net and scored on the power play beating the Selects netminder with a shot to the short side after working the puck off the wall with Sheridan Oswald and Mekaela Fisher. The Caps some solid territorial play however shots on net were only 7-4 for the Caps with Selects having a couple of quality chances that Wild saved.
The second period saw the Caps come out with more energy and start to take control of the game outshooting the Selects 13-4 however solid netminding from Raina Rempel kept the score close as the Caps only found the back of the net once. Eryn Stewart scored an important shorthanded goal just over half way through the period when she knocked down a cross ice pass and went in on a break away beating Rempel with a nice 5-hole shot giving the Caps a needed lift heading into the intermission.
The Caps continued their pressure throughout the third period with a solid forecheck and constant pressure to the net that final paid off 7 minutes into the period when Kiera Shwaluk jumped into the play from the point and put in a shot from the slot, Sheridan Oswald and Marisa Fraser assisted on the goal. The Caps were not satisfied with the security goal and for the period outshot the Selects 19-2 notching 3 more goals as Chelsea Hallson and Mekaela Fisher both scored goals off of rebounds before Kelly-Rae Zdan would beat the Selects goalie short side to round out the scoring. 2 assists were picked up by Sheridan Oswald giving her 4 on the day while Eryn Stewart and Chloe Snaith also picked up helpers.
The Caps now have a 2-0 lead in their best of 5 series with the Selects and can close the series with a win Sunday Feb. 21 at the Portage BDO Centre - Game Time is set for 5:00 p.m.
CAPS TAKE FIRST GAME vs. EASTMAN
The Caps earned a hard fought 4-0 win and a 1 game lead in their best of 5 MFMHL quarterfinal series vs. a hardworking Eastman Selects Wednesday Feb. 17 at the BDO Centre. The Caps got off to a slow start and although they had territorial play advantage in the first period could not take advantage of it fighting the puck and missing scoring chances sending the two teams into the intermission scoreless.
The Caps came out of the break with a higher energy and compete level taking control of period and forcing the Selects into penalties with their speed and puck pressure leading to 2 power play goals as the Caps outshot the Selects 17-2. Emily Upgang got the Caps on the scoreboard as she banged in a rebound off a good low shot from Chelsea Hallson who drove off the wall after taking a feed from Sheridan Oswald. Oswald would make it 2-0 when she would walk in and beat the Eastman goalie low to the short side after taking a pass from Upgang, Hallson picked up her second assist of the night on the goal.
With a 2-0 lead heading into the third period the Caps did not to sit on this lead but make sure they stayed aggressive and set the tempo and half way through the period got an insurance goal when Sheridan Oswald scored her second of the game after taking a pass from Mekaela Fisher with Chelsea Hallson picking up her third assist of the game. The Caps would seal the win when Amy Klippenstien took a pass from Stephanie Stinson and scored an empty net goal. McKenna Wild picked up the shutout win making 13 saves with some big stops coming on the 4 penalty kills the Caps faced especially win the teams were tied.
The Caps lead the series 1-0 with game 2 now scheduled for St. Malo on Saturday Feb. 20 - puck drop is set for 7:45 pm.
