The Lord Selkirk Royals saw their Winnipeg High School Hockey League season come to a close after a strong opening-round sweep in the Platinum Promotions Division playoffs.
Lord Selkirk opened the post-season with a 1–0 victory over River East on Feb. 10. Chase Brydges needed just 15 seconds to find the back of the net, finishing a setup from Mateo Malbasa and Kageon Carver. The early strike stood as the game’s only goal, as the Royals shut the door defensively over the final 44 minutes to secure the win.
The Royals clinched the series the following day with a 2–0 triumph. After two scoreless periods, Nolan Dear broke through midway through the third period, scoring from Noah Hartwich and Mason Grant. Dear added an insurance marker later in the frame from Erik Evason and Jaxon Beasley to complete the sweep and send Lord Selkirk into the second round.
The semifinal matchup against Vincent Massey proved to be a tightly contested affair.
In Game 1 on Feb. 17, the Royals dropped a 4–3 decision. Grant opened the scoring in the first period from Beasley and Brydges. Dear added a shorthanded goal in the second from Brydges and Grant, while Carver also scored in the frame from Evason and Stanley Hallock. Vincent Massey responded each time, however, to claim the opener.
Lord Selkirk evened the series Feb. 19 with a 3–2 overtime win. Brydges scored in the first period from Dear and Malbasa. Dear added a third-period marker from Malbasa, and after the teams exchanged late goals, Hartwich netted the overtime winner to force a decisive Game 3.
The Royals’ season ended Feb. 20 with a 5–2 loss. Evason scored on the power play in the first period from Carver and Dear, and Sebastian Cychowski added a third-period power-play goal from Beasley. Vincent Massey closed out the series with three unanswered goals to advance.
With the loss, Lord Selkirk wrapped up its campaign after reaching the second round of the Platinum Promotions Division playoffs.
Royals Open Playoffs vs. Shaftesbury
The Selkirk Royals are set to open their Manitoba Women’s High School Hockey League playoff series against Shaftesbury this week.
Selkirk will host Game 1 on Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. before travelling for Game 2 on Feb. 24 at 4 p.m.
If necessary, a third and deciding game will be played Feb. 27 at 4 p.m., with the Royals again on the road.
The best-of-three series will determine which team advances to the next round of the MWHSHL playoffs.
