Manning Comet Deklan Whillans (No. 19 in white) battles for position in front of the net as defenceman Hudson Chalifoux defends. In goal is Keygan Okemow.
It would be too easy to say the High Prairie Regals got the doors blown off them after being swept by the Manning Comets in the NPHL Quarter-Final Feb. 14.
The Comets came to town with their full lineup of stars and completed the sweep with an 8-3 win and await their opponent in the Semi-Final.
While the Regals did get swept, the fact remains they were a far better club than last season and are trending in the right direction. Five wins this year compared to one last year, and improvements in many statistical categories show the club is headed in right direction.
However, the reality also shows they are a long way from competing for a title. The Regals tied a club record with their 11th straight loss in playoff action while the Comets remained perfect in sweeping a series (5-0) when leading 3-0.
Not surprisingly, teams also down 3-0 indicate they are a weaker opponent. No matter what the year, the Regals have been swept nine times when down 3-0 in 11 series. They managed to go to five games once and six games once in the other series.
The series also marked only the eighth time in league history a team had been swept and lost all four games by at least five goals. The Comets also performed the feat against the Regals in 2013-14. The only other team to do it twice against the same opponent were the Falher Pirates, wo turned the trick against the Valleyview Jets in consecutive years in 2010-11 and 2011-12.
Despite being overmatched, the Regals scored first in the first three games of the series and led 2-1 Feb. 14, meaning they blew leads in all four games, albeit all by only one goal.
Colton Yellow Horn opened the scoring but within three minutes Riley Prevost and Steven Pratt scored and the Regals were ahead 2-1.
However, the Comets found their game and scored four goals before the end of the period. Aiden Landers, Brendan Baumgartner, Chris Langkow and Deklan Whillans gave the Comets a 5-2 lead.
In the second period, Whillans scored his playoff-leading eighth and ninth goals while Langkow added his second of the night.
Kobe Braham’s goal in the last minute made it 8-3 before the clubs battled through a scoreless third period.
As if defeating the Comets wasn’t going to be difficult enough, the Comets were handed 10 power plays compared to the Regals’ four. The Comets had the first six power plays of the game in the first two periods including a five-minute advantage. The Regals kept the Comets to only two power play goals which was quite a feat considering the star power the Comets put on the ice. Goaltender Keygan Okemow was solid in goal for the Regals and helped considerably in keeping Judd Blackwater and Ty Stanton off the scoresheet.
The Comets outshot the Regals 49-21.
In the third game at Manning Feb. 12, Brandon McNabb opened the scoring. Whillans, Blackwater and Ty Wiebe responded and the Comets led 3-1 after one.
In the second, Edge Lambert and Thomas Simpson made it 5-1. Nolan Noskey responded but Whillans scored twice before the end of the period, once shorthanded, and it was 7-2.
Corey Isaac, who assisted on the first two goals, scored in third period for the Regals on a power play but Wiebe score once and Josh Peters twice as the Comets hit double figures.
The Comets were 4-for-7 on the power play while the Regals clicked on two of five chances.
The Comets outshot the Regals 57-31.
Manning took a 2-1 lead in the series with an 8-1 at High Prairie Feb. 9. Lawrence Anderson opened the scoring in the first period but it was all the offence the Regals could muster.
Langkow and Yellow Horn scored before the end of the first period. Wiebe scored in the second period while Lambert counted a pair and it was suddenly 5-1.
In the third, Blackwater, Whillans and Wiebe scored.
The Comets outshot the Regals 54-24 and scored on one of two power plays while the Regals were blanked on one of two chances.
In the series, the Comets were 9-for-23 on the power play the Regals 2-for-16. They also outshot the Regals 222-99 in the series for an average of 30.75 shots on goal per game.
The Comets have built a very good club and are strong contenders to win their second league title in their history.
Chris Clegg
South Peace News