Midget Huskies tie Fort Macleod Mavericks in nailbiter exhibition game

Huskies #27 Lane Crawford catches some major air
C. Davis photos

Chris Davis

Pincher Creek's Spud League Midget Huskies hosted Fort Macleod's Central Alberta Hockey League Mavericks for an exhibition game at the Memorial Community Centre Arena in Pincher Creek on Friday evening, November 17.

Turnout for the event was quite good.  The two teams did not disappoint the large crowd, playing three periods of solid, exciting, evenly matched back-and-forth hockey.

Things got of to a fast start, and the pace didn't let up throughout the game.  Huskies #22 Derek Tarcon scored only 53 seconds into the first period, assisted by #11 Calahan Bruder. While that gave cause for a certain optimism among Huskies fans, the bulk of the period played out with neither team scoring despite lots of attempts on the opposing net for both. Great goaltending on both ends. Finally at the 4:15 mark Derek Tarcon weaved his way through the Mavericks defence to score another goal, this time unassisted, bring it to 2-0 for the Huskies.  Back to a flurry of acton, and this time it was the Mavericks that managed to get one through, with a goal scored by #15 Tyrus White Cow, assisted by #13 Wilfred North Peigan. The period ended 2-1 for the Huskies.  It was, in all, one of the most entertaining 20 minutes of hockey we've seen yet this season.

Huskies Captain Brett Tarcon takes it to the net

The second period started on the jump as well.  Relentless back and forth action resolved into another goal for the Huskies early on.  At the 17:56 mark Huskies Captain #16 Brett Tarcon scored, with Calahan Bruder earning his second assist of the night, to bring the score to 3-1 for the Huskies.  Shortly after that at the 15:36 mark Brett Tarcon scored again, this time assisted by #17 Jared Koentges. 4-1 Huskies.  At the 12:20 mark Huskies #23 Ryan Marshall got his turn, assisted by Brett Tarcon and #4 Will Thorpe.  5-1 Huskies, and the game was beginning to look like it was theirs.  That was seemingly confirmed at 10:54 when Brett Tarcon earned himself a hat-trick, with Calahan Bruder getting his third assist of the night.  #19 Ryan Sciarra also picked up an assist on the play. Fort Macleod battled back, and the game was not as one sided as the score might indicate.  With 9:26 left in the period Mavericks #8 Ryan Cook scored on a breakaway play, bringing it to 6-2.  Exactly 5 minutes later Mavericks Captain #19 Sheh Gallamore scored unassisted. At the buzzer it was 6-3, with the Huskies still on top, but earning every inch of it against very strong opponents.

The third period started off a little slower than the first two, with both teams seeming a bit tired from the full on hockey of the previous 40 minutes.  Every little mistake counted, and this time around it was Fort Macleod's turn to have the edge.  Gallamore scored, again unassisted, just 13 seconds into the period.  6-4. Then Ryan Cook scored for the Mavericks, his second of the game, 6-5.  The infractions started to stack up, and tempers were obviously frayed all around.  The Huskies put some distance back on the scoreboard at the 10:33 mark when Ryan Marshall scored his second of the night, with Ryan Sciarra getting his second assist. 7-5, Huskies. Sciarra was something to see throughout the game.  He's agile, thinking fast on his feet out there, responding very quickly to the changing dynamics around him.  The Mavericks pushed back, fast and hard, and only 21 seconds later brought it to 7-6 with a goal by #18 Colten Holtz, assisted by Ryan Cook. With the Huskies playing short handed, at the 8:53 mark the Mavericks tied it up at 7-7 when Captain Sheh Gallamore earned himself a hat-trick with a great breakaway play.  At the 6:48 mark Huskies #9 Blair Goodreau finally managed to get the goal he'd been working hard for all evening, bringing it to 8-7 Huskies, but still far from over. With only 1:50 left in the game Mavericks #3 Chanse Ballas scored, assisted by Ryan Cook, perhaps the busiest man on the ice this night.  8-8, and that's where it stood at the final buzzer.

Despite some unnecessary rough stuff, particularly in the last half of the second period, this was one heck of a good hockey game.  Entertaining, evenly matched, stylish even.  I hope we get a chance to see these two teams face off again sometime.