Wheatland Braves defeated in Red Deer

By John Watson Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The Wheatland Braves will not be advancing to provincials, losing 9-5 to the Red Deer Chiefs in Game 3 of their championship series, March 17 in Red Deer.

Jack Vergouwen, following the Braves win in Game 2 at the Strathmore Family Centre on March 16, said his team fought hard and commended them for their efforts. 

“We knew it was going to be a tough test answering the bell against these guys. We had a tough Game 1, they had the advantage up there for sure,” he said. “There is no doubt in this group. There is so much character through and through our lineup. We faced a lot of adversity. We are short a guy on defense, one of our top guys on the back end but we fought to the bitter end.”

Going into Game 3, Vergouwen said the plan was to attempt to shut down Red Deer’s forwards and contain them.

The idea being that the Braves have been facing tough games all season long and this series was no different.

“(It comes down to doing) all the little things right that is required to win a playoff game – just being hard on the pucks, getting them out of our zone, getting them in theirs, and grinding them down,” said Vergouwen. “Red Deer is a tremendously skilled team. They are a great team – I give all the kudos in the world to them. They are built very well, they have got a lot of good depth, good goaltenders, and obviously one incredibly skilled player up front there.”

On Saturday night, Mason Mallet, one of the Braves goaltenders, kept his team in the game and allowed them the opportunity to take it to a Game 3. Of the roughly 30 shots on net taken in Game 2, only four got past Mallet en route to a 6-4 win.

Vergouwen added it has been a rollercoaster of a season for his team, having gone through a great deal of “growing pains” along the way.

“That is all part of it, and I think that that whole learning process has brought us to this moment and we won one banner last weekend (March 8-10) – from everything we have grown and developed over the years and over the course of this year,” he said.

The Wheatland Braves conclude their season as the SCAHL South Division champions and will have a banner hanging in the Strathmore Family Centre marking their success.