This is posted on the SJHL website:LA RONGE WINS CREDIT UNION CUP
Sunday, April 11, 2010
For the first time in franchise history, the La Ronge Ice Wolves are Credit Union Cup champions.
Liam Brennan capped a career night by scoring the overtime winner at 3:48 to send his team to a 3-2 victory over the Yorkton Terriers and a six game series decision.
Brennan scored all three of his team’s goals on Sunday night and finished the series with 4-goals and 4-assists. He also was the most effective face-off man in the series and his efforts paid off in spades on Sunday.
He opened the scoring midway through the second when he used his deceptive speed while on a 3-on-5 penalty kill to go in alone on Devin Peters.
He scored again late in the third off a face off and as he won the draw back and then went to the net, finding the puck on the end of his stick and roofing it on Peters, who had no chance.
Yorkton, despite trailing 2-0 with five minutes to play, showed the resiliency they’ve displayed all playoffs as Cody Zubko led the rush and Adam Moar finished it off just 21-seconds after Brennan’s second.
In the final minute, Peters was on the bench and Drew McDermott rifled a blast from the point, by a screened Joel Danyluk.
But in OT, the Ice Wolves had the better chances and after hitting losing control in the crease on a half-open net, Brennan got a second opportunity on the door step and this time he cashed in.
Following the game, La Ronge captain and SJHL Player Of The Year Dustin Stevenson was chosen as the Playoffs Most Valuable Player. Stevenson scored 4-goals and 1-assist in the series and finished the playoffs with 10-goals and 11-assists in 21-games overall. He logged major minutes, especially in the wake of an injury to Mike Alexander, that knocked the latter out of the line-up for two weeks.
Yorkton’s Zubko won the playoff scoring title with 9-goals and 19-assists in 21-games. This comes after a regular season in which he had 23-points in 44-games.
Brennan, Stevenson, and Danyluk all had starring moments in the series. Danyluk was 4-and-0 with a 1.67-GAA and a .948-SPCT.
The best may be yet to come for La Ronge as their top line of Ben Findlay, Doug Lindensmith, and Marc-Andre Carre combined for only one goal in the league final. Lindensmith, who emerged as a gritty forward and found ways to contribute despite being stifled on the scoresheet, still led the team in playoff points with 22. He was key on the game winning goal.
The Ice Wolves automatically receive a berth in the RBC Cup, hosted by Dauphin in early May.
In the meantime, they’ll play the Kings for the ANAVET Cup, scheduled to begin Friday in La Ronge. They could have their work cut out for them. Dauphin was 50-11-and-1 during the regular season and then went 12-and-1 in the playoffs. The Ice Wolves were 15-and-6 in the playoffs following a regular season in which they placed fourth in the Bauer Conference with a record of 29-21-and-8.
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