Stamps' Season Over

The Swan Valley Stampeders lost 4-1 to the Portage Terriers on home ice in Game 6 Saturday night, falling 4-games-to-2 to the Terriers, the team they beat in Round 1 of last year's playoffs.

Tyler Moore scored the game winner and the empty netter to seal it, while Shaq Merasty had a goal and an assist, and Tanner Waldvogel also found the net for Portage.

Shelby Gray, in his final game of Junior Hockey, replied for the Stamps early in the 2nd, making it 1-1 at the time.

The two best players in the series were Jason Kasdorf of the Terriers, and Jayson Argue of the Stamps, the goalies... and they were again in Game 6. Kasdorf stopped 27/28 shots in the win, while Argue stopped 28/31.

With 3 seconds left in the game, Swan Valley's Jesse Enns cranked Portage defenseman Tyler Harland into the corner from behind. The hit happened almost in my blind spot, so I really couldn't see exactly what kind of hit it was... but it was loud, and Enns was handed 5 and a game.

That led to words being exchanged between benches, including coaches, and after the refs let the last 3 seconds just run off the clock, members of the Terrier staff were shouting at the Stamps' bench, and Swan Valley Assistant Dallas Anderson ran at the Terrier bench, and he and Portage Assistant Jim Tkachyk, over top of all four officials, were throwing punches.

Not the greatest ending to what was a season exceeding expectations in Swan... but plenty to be proud of.

Stampeder 20-year-olds
F Shelby Gray
F Jeff Peel
F Cramer Coulthart
F Brad McDonald
F Taylor Epp
D Clark Bycyzynski
D Brent Wilson
D Dylan Trowell

I made some good pals over the last few seasons in Swan, notably Vern Trowell, Jeff Peel and Shelby Gray, and others.

And, one night after seeing Estevan's Troy Hunter (probably my favourite player NOT on a team I cover) watch his junior career end from the sidelines due to an injury, Stampeder Captain Cramer Coulthart was forced to do the same thing. He was doing stats beside me, after playing three full seasons with his hometown team.

Tough one... but most people outside the Stampeder locker room (I admit, myself included) didn't see the Stamps being a playoff team this season, after all that they lost from last year's high-scoring club. But they scored enough goals when they had to, and got superb goaltending from Jayson Argue and Dylan Wells. The addition of D-man of the year Clark Bycyznski also proved to be huge.

Best of luck to the grads, and here's hoping we can see playoff hockey again next season in the Valley!