Jr. B. Tigers Take The Series In 5

Game 5 Win. Photo by Sonya Lee

The Vermilion Jr. B Tigers are heading to the league finals after an impressive semifinal performance against the Wainwright Bisons, closing out the best-of-seven series in five games with a strong stretch of hockey last week.

Game 3 on March 4 in Provost saw a hard-fought opening period as both teams battled for control early. The Tigers struck first when Ean Cooke found the back of the net with assists from Anderson and Cale Johnston. The Bisons answered to even the score, but the Tigers regained the lead before the end of the period when Kael Scott capitalized on a play set up by Parker Vaughn. In the second period, the Bisons managed to get on the board again, but the Tigers quickly took over the momentum. Cooke scored his second of the night with help from Cade Meiklejohn, followed by a goal from Kaden Davidson, assisted by Johnston. Davidson struck again later in the period with assists from Pavka and Cooke, extending Vermilion’s lead. Scott then added another for the Tigers, scoring unassisted before the period ended. The third period remained scoreless as the Tigers held strong defensively to secure the win. Kael Scott was named the College Park Motors Player of the Game.

The series continued on March 6 at the Peace Memorial Multiplex in Wainwright for Game 4, where the Tigers once again came out flying. Kaden Davidson opened the scoring with assists from Zomar and Anderson, followed shortly after by Pavka, who scored with help from Quist and Meiklejohn. The Tigers continued their strong offensive push when Cale Johnston added a third goal of the period, while Romanchuk and the Tigers’ defence kept the Bisons off the board in the first. Vermilion continued to dominate in the second period, adding two more goals. Cade Meiklejohn scored with assists from Pavka and Applegate, and Johnston added another marker with help from Davidson. The Bisons managed to sneak one past the Tigers during the period, but by the end of the second, Vermilion held a strong 6–2 lead. The Tigers continued to play solid hockey through the remainder of the game to secure another important win in the series. Aiden Fox was named the College Park Motors Player of the Game.

Game 5 on March 7 brought the series back to Vermilion, where the Tigers had the chance to close out the semifinals on home ice. The opening period was tightly contested, but the Tigers broke through when Ean Cooke scored with assists from Quist and Toutant to give Vermilion a 1–0 lead after the first period. The Bisons tied the game early in the second, but the Tigers responded quickly. Cade Meiklejohn restored Vermilion’s lead with an assist from Pavka, and Pavka added another goal shortly after with assists from Quist and Davidson, giving the Tigers a 3–1 lead heading into the third period. In the final frame, Kaden Davidson added another for Vermilion with assists from Anderson and Johnston. The Bisons managed to score once more late in the game, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Tigers’ momentum. When the final buzzer sounded, the Tigers had secured the win and the series four games to one, bouncing back after a rough opening game to take control of the matchup and earn their spot in the league finals. Aiden Fox was once again named the College Park Motors Player of the Game as the Tigers now look ahead to the championship series