Bears’ rookie Archer slams door on Sharks in OT win

Bears G Brooke Archer turns away Sharks F Lacey Schneider.

PRINCE ALBERT, Sask. – Brooke Archer wasn’t going to let an opportunity for redemption pass her by.

Last Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, 15-year-old rookie goalie for the Prince Albert Northern Bears made her first Saskatchewan Female Under-18 AAA Hockey League regular season start. The Mossbank, Sask., product made 27 saves coming up on the wrong end of a 7-2 loss to the host Saskatoon Stars.

The Bears played their next game after that setback on Saturday inside the friendly confines of the Art Hauser Centre, and Archer found herself getting the start again in goal. She made 21 stops helping the Bears post a 2-1 overtime victory over the visiting Battlefords Sharks.

Brooke Archer directs a shot into the corner.

The two sides go at it again on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at the Battleford Arena in Battleford.

Archer was pleased Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby didn’t allow her to dwell too long on the lopsided loss to the Stars.

“I was actually really surprised, but I was happy,” said Archer. “I felt that hopefully I could redeem myself this game and come back out better.”

Actually, it might be accurate to say Archer played so well she stole Saturday’s game for the Bears. She turned away speedy Sharks 17-year-old forward Jordyn Blais on three different breakaway opportunities.

Brooke Archer made 21 saves on Saturday.

Blais had two breakaway chances while the Sharks were short-handed.

During the game’s first 40-minutes, the Sharks had a slim 20-19 edge in shots on goal, but the visitors also had numerous grade A scoring chances.

Archer made a larger number of tough saves to allow the Bears to exit the first 40 minutes locked in a 1-1 tie.

“I was a little scared going into this one after what happened in the last one,” said Archer. “Once I got in the home ice, I felt my confidence went up a lot more.”

When it came to facing Blais on those three breakaway, Archer had a strategy.

“I knew she was going to shoot each time just because we had a D-man pressuring her,” said Archer. “I was just ready for the shot.”

Brooke Archer gathers up a loose puck.

After the two sides played a tight checking scoreless third period, it didn’t take the Bears long to get the win in a four-on-four overtime session. Just 35 seconds into the extra frame, Bears winger Haley Kicia sprung captain Paris Oleksyn on a breakaway to the Sharks goal with a smart pass.

Oleksyn wired the winner to the top right corner of the Battlefords net over the shoulder of Sharks 16-year-old veteran goalie Yelena Zaleschuk. The veteran 17-year-old Prince Albert centre was pumped to net the overtime winner.

Yelena Zaleschuk made 24 saves for the Sharks.

“It was a heck of a feeling,” said Oleksyn. “There was a lot nerves at the beginning.

“It was the first overtime of the year, which was kind of scary. Me and Haley (Kicia), we’re super excited. We just need to focus on getting the puck deep, and then it is four-on-four.

“It shouldn’t be that hard to create some two-on-ones which we did. We retrieved the puck, and it was just the best feeling.”

Oleksyn said the Bears had to get the win too after Archer made all her key saves to keep the host side in the contest.

“She (Archer) was having an amazing game,” said Oleksyn. “It was hard for us that we couldn’t help her out, because she kept stopping like breakaway shots and everything.

Ava Cole scored to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead.

“There wasn’t a lot we could do to help her out until the end.”

After a scoreless opening frame, the Sharks got on the board first at the 3:38 mark of the second. Working on the power play, Sharks defender Ava Cole snuck down from the point and collected the loose puck at the left side of the Bears net.

Cole popped home an extra-strength marker from close in to the top corner of the Prince Albert goal to give the visitors a 1-0 edge.

The Bears responded 41 seconds later when centre Sophia Zuck roofed home a shot on an offensive zone rush to even the score at 1-1.

From that point, Archer ensured the door to the Prince Albert net stayed shut helping her team improve to 2-1.

Sophia Zuck scored the equalizer for the Bears.

Zaleschuk had a solid outing as well turning away 24 shots to take the setback in goal for the Sharks, who were making their regular season debut in the 2020-21 campaign.

Willoughby said the Bears coaching staff believed they needed to let Archer start another game as quickly as possible to help her get past the loss she took in her regular season debut.

“We just felt that she needed to play,” said Willoughby. “Instead of sitting and thinking about the last game one more day, let’s just get her back in the action.

“There is no better way than to just get right back into it. I thought playing at the Art Hauser she would feel more comfortable. Obviously, it showed today.

Paris Oleksyn had the OT winner for the Bears.

“I thought she had great composure on some of the saves she had to make like three breakaways and some in tight rebounds. She had really good composure. We were glad with the decision that was made, and it paid off I think for all of us.”

Willoughby said he was happy for Archer, and believes his netminder got exactly what she needed. The veteran bench boss added the Bears skaters need to play better in front of their goaltenders but having Archer gain a boost of confidence was a big plus.

“Games can be swung either way just by how your goaltender is playing,” said Willoughby. “If we can continue to get that performance from Brooke and both our goalies, it just helps us out throughout the way here.”

The Bears celebrate their OT victory on Saturday.

On top of gaining a confidence boost, Archer will never forget getting her first win for the Bears.

“It was so exciting,” said Archer. “I just had so energy going over there, and it was just an awesome feeling.

“I hope we get lots more from there.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Stars flashback to the past, roll over Northern Bears 7-2

The Stars celebrate Makena Kushniruk’s first period goal.

Someone should have checked the lineup card, because you would have thought Mackenna Parker, Grace Shirley, Anna Leschyshyn, Joelle Fiala, Kaitlin Jockims, Ashley Messier and Chace Sperling were dressed for the Saskatoon Stars on Sunday afternoon.

The Stars scored early - with captain Mackena Kushniruk tallying just 14 seconds into the first period - and often rolling over their traditional rivals the Prince Albert Northern Bears 7-2 at the SaskTel Centre.

The result was a stark contrast to the previous day, when the two sides met in Prince Albert at the Art Hauser Centre. In that encounter, the host Bears jumped out to a 3-0 lead ultimately posting a 3-1 victory holding a 35-26 edge in shots on goal.

Sydney Mercier had two goals and two assists for the Stars.

In that contest that was the regular season opener for both sides, Kiara Stewart, captain Paris Oleksyn and Haley Kicia staked the Bears out to their 3-0 lead. Left-winger Sydney Mercier replied for the Stars on the power play with 76 seconds remaining in the third.

Janae Neufeld made 25 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Bears. Kaitlyn Cadrain turned away 32 shots to take the setback in goal for the Stars.

In the return match on Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, the Stars hit the ice with some serious jump in their stride.

Makena Kushniruk had a goal and two assists for the Stars.

Their top line of Kushniruk, Mercier and Emma Gaudet combined for four goals and five assists. The hosts led 2-0 after the first, 4-1 after the second before rounding out the 7-2 final.

It seemed like the spirit of the Stars old long time home in the Agriplace Arena made the walking distance trip over to the neighbouring SaskTel Centre.

In those old days at Agriplace Arena, the Stars now graduated greats used to fill opposing net on a nightly basis causing the flashing green lights on the rink’s stanchions to stay seeming permanently on as “Chelsea Dagger” by The Fratellis echoed through the building’s rafters.

That generation of the Stars won league titles 2015, 2016 and 2018 at the Agriplace Arena before moving to Merlis Belsher Place and capturing another league championship in 2019.

The Stars celebrate Kaylee Baun’s first period goal.

Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Stars aren’t able to use Merlis Belsher Place as a home arena this season as it has been converted into a field hospital in waiting. As a result, they have been forced to move out to the SaskTel Centre along with the Saskatoon Contacts of the SMAAAHL and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies men’s and women’s hockey teams from U Sports.

With most of the players from their SFU18AAAHL championship teams having moved on due to graduation, the Stars went through a reloading campaign last season posting a sound 12-14-4 record.

Kushniruk is the only holdover from the last Stars team that called Agriplace home. She was a sophomore on the Stars last team to win the Fedoruk Cup as league champions in 2019, while the other holdovers in Cadrain, Haylee Kos, Alison Olorenshaw, Bridget Rezansoff, Halle Helperl and Kaylee Baun were all rookies.

Kaitlyn Cadrain made 29 saves for the Stars on Sunday.

The Fedoruk Cup wasn’t award last season due to the under-18 female AAA playoffs being cancelled nationally due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Just to be clear, the current Stars do not have the special talent level their league championship teams had that resulted in dominant lopsided wins game in and game out. The current Stars have talent, but they have to rely on their work ethic being strong to win on a nightly basis making them create their own current identity along the way.

Still, it had to feel good that for one night they could emulate their special squads from the past against an opponent who has been their biggest rival.

After Kushniruk put the Stars up 1-0, they went up 2-0, when Baum potted home a loose puck beside the Prince Albert net for a power-play goal.

Emma Gaudet nets her first career Stars regular season goal.

In between those tallies, Cadrain turned away Oleksyn, who tried to score on a backhanded attempt on a penalty shot.

While the Stars held a 2-0 edge after 20 minutes, the Bears didn’t go away. Kicia blasted home a goal at the 10:52 mark of the second to cut the Stars lead to 2-1.

Before the second frame ended, the Stars responded with two goals 61 seconds apart to surge ahead 4-1.

Working on the power play, Kushniruk found Mercier with a pass open at the ride side of the Bears net, and Mercier popped home her first tally of the contest to give the Stars a 3-1 edge.

The Saskatoon lead expanded to 4-1 when 15-year-old rookie center Keyra Buziak found a loose puck at the left side of Bears net and fired the puck into an open cage to record her first career SFU18AAAHL goal.

Keyra Buziak scored her first career Stars regular season goal.

At the 8:20 mark of the third, Sophia Zuck scored for the Bears to cut the Stars lead to 4-2.

Saskatoon proceeded to close out the contest with a three goal surge with tallies coming off the sticks of Helperl, Gaudet and Mercier, who collected her second marker on the afternoon. Gaudet’s tally was her first career SFU18AAAHL career goal skating in her second season with the Stars.

Cadrain made 29 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Stars. Brooke Archer, who is a 15-year-old rookie making her first career SFU18AAAHL regular season start, turned away 27 shots to take the setback in goal for the Bears.

Assuming all goes in a positive direction on the COVID-19 pandemic front, the Bears will return to action this coming Saturday when they host the Battlefords Sharks at 4:30 p.m. at the Art Hauser Centre. The Stars are off until Saturday, Nov. 28 when they are slated to host the Sharks at 2 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

The Stars begin to celebrate their victory on Sunday.

The result of Sunday’s game between the Stars and Bears will likely not foreshadow how the rest of the season will go.

For one game, the Stars got to revel in the spoils of a great outing.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.