The Pembina Valley Twisters have taken a commanding 2-0 series lead winning the first two games of their quarterfinal match against the Raiders Jr. Hockey Club in the MMJHL playoffs.
Prior to the start of the playoffs, the Twisters suffered a 9-3 defeat on their home ice against the Fort Garry/Fort Rouge Twins in their last game of the regular season. Cohen Thomas had a pair of goals for Pembina Valley in the losing effort, while Lucas Jolicoeur had the other goal. Jack Martin stopped 36 shots in goal for the loss.
The Twisters took the second spot in the MMJHL standings, boasting an impressive 27-14-4 record. As a result, they will have home-ice advantage as they face off against the seventh-seeded Raiders Jr. Hockey Club in their quarterfinal best-of-seven series.
Twisters’ forward Derek Wiebe finished the regular season in seventh in the MMJHL’s scoring race with 67 points in 44 games, while Merek Degraeve tied him with 67 points in 45 games. Netminder Logan Enns amassed a 20-8-1 record in goal, which was good for second in the league in wins, with a 2.93 goals-against average and .914 save percentage.
On March 8, the Twisters won Game 1 at home by a 1-0 scoreline in a tight defensively played affair from both teams. Wiebe had the game-winner for Pembina Valley, while Enns stopped all 33 shots he faced for the shutout.
Game 2 was played on March 10. It was a wild back and forth thriller that saw the Twisters rally from a two-goal deficit in the third period to force overtime. The game ultimately went to double overtime before the Twisters pulled out a massive 6-5 victory.
Mike Heppner led the way for Pembina Valley with a pair of goals including the overtime winner, while the team’s other goals were scored by Colton Wiebe, Thomas, Zander Carela and Brock Wood. Enns stopped 22 shots in goal for the victory.
“I think we went through every emotion you can in the playoffs in that one,” said Twisters’ head coach Braeden Beernaerts. “The whole game, we felt like we still had a gear or two left in the tank, and we just had to find it. When we were able to not only tie the game but lead by one, I think we got too much of a relieved feeling, and we got caught thinking the game was over. And the Raiders capitalized on us as we were caught sleeping at the wheel. However, the boys dug deep and brought their all in the overtime as everyone stood tall, and Heppner was able to make an incredible play to extend the series lead to two.”
The Twisters will now head out onto the road for Games 3 and 4 at the Seven Oaks Sportsplex. Game 3 will be on March 12 at 7 p.m., while Game 4 will be held on March 15 at 7:30 p.m.
“It was a good lesson with a fortunate outcome that we were able to win in double overtime. We can’t let off ever, and we can’t take any game or shift for granted, or it could end up in the back of our net,” said Beernaerts. We look forward to Game 3, and we hope we can keep the foot on the gas for a full sixty minutes.”
Record Photo by Lana Meier
