Al Michaels famously asked, “Do you believe in miracles?” when a group of amateur U.S. hockey players knocked off the powerhouse Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics.
The Southwest Rockies staged their own “miracle on ice” last weekend as they earned points against the league’s top teams to sneak into the South Central Alberta Bantam AA Hockey League playoffs.
The Rockies now take on Cranbrook Hornets in a best-of-three playoff series.
The first game is Friday, Feb. 21 at Cranbrook, with the second game at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 at Pincher Creek. The third game is Sunday, Feb. 23 at Cranbrook, if necessary.
The Rockies went into the final weekend of regular season play knowing the odds were stacked against them making the playoffs.
They trailed the Brooks Longhorns by a single point in the race for the final playoff spot and faced road games against the top two teams in the league.
The Rockies had to earn at least two points, while hoping the Longhorns would come away empty-handed in their final game against Red Deer Steel Kings, a middle-of-the-pack team in the north division.
Rockies 4 Bisons 4
The Rockies faced off Saturday night in Nanton against the Foothills Bisons, who were first in the south division and second overall in the league.
With their season hanging in the balance the Rockies came out blazing and were rewarded just over a minute into the game when captain Turner Sharp scored his seventh goal of the season, assisted by Ethan Richards.
The Bisons, who were 40 points ahead of the Rockies in the standings, tied the game 85 seconds later.
The Bisons kept bringing it throughout the opening period but could not solve Rockies goalie Sean Park, who turned aside shot after shot.
Park was getting plenty of help from D-men Sharp, Tyson Goodreau, Jason Stockton, Chaz Vance, Peyton Tailfeathers and Nic Jordan, who pounded on the Bisons forwards in front of the net, stopping only to clear any rebounds.
The Bisons pulled ahead 2-1 with 3:52 left in the period on a powerplay goal, and if there was a time the Rockies were going to quit, this could have been it.
Instead, winger Jesson Luco took things into his own hands and restored the Rockies lead with two goals on one shift, just 11 seconds apart.
Luco’s first goal was assisted by Tailfeathers, and the second was a solo effort that silenced the Bisons home crowd.
The frantic pace continued in the second period with the Bisons testing Park time after time, only to be turned away.
The Bisons finally tied the game 3-3 on a powerplay goal with 8:23 left in the period.
Just when it looked like the teams would be tied at the break, Michael McTighe jumped on a loose puck, raced down the left wing boards and fired a wrist shot over the Foothills goalie’s shoulder to put the Rockies back in front 4-3.
A bad bounce for the Rockies led to the Bisons fourth goal just 22 seconds into the final period, their third powerplay goal of the night.
The Bisons poured it in the third but could not get another puck past Park, who finished the game with 42 saves.
The Rockies were now tied with Brooks but the Longhorns would get the playoff spot based on a better record against the Southwest team in regular season.
Rockies 3 Warriors 3
The Rockies got some help when Red Deer edged the Longhorns 4-3 Sunday, but still faced an uphill battle against Wheatland Warriors.
The Warriors, who beat the Rockies 8-1 earlier in the year, were in their own playoff race.
The Warriors needed a win to climb over Okotoks Oilers for first place overall.
The Warriors brought their home town Strathmore crowd to its feet right away, scoring the game’s first goal just 1:15 after the opening faceoff.
Two and a half minutes later the Warriors benefited from a horrible bounce to score a shorthanded goal and go up 2-0.
That was all the scoring for the rest of the first period and more than half of the second as Rockies goalie Kyle Roberts stopped everything the Warriors threw at him.
For their part, the Rockies had some great chances but just could not finish. Finally, with 7:58 left in the second period, McTighe set up Richards for a shorthanded goal that made it 2-1.
The score stood that way until Wheatland got its third goal with 14:37 left in the third period.
With his team trailing 3-1, Cameron Gallant lifted the Rockies onto his broad shoulders and scored two goals just over a minute apart to tie the game.
The first goal came on a powerplay with Chase Snider and Stockton assisting.
On the tying goal, Gallant pounced on a loose puck at the edge of the crease and fired it home, with Jordan McAulay and Luco picking up assists.
Roberts made 28 saves in the victory, including a huge glove save in the dying moments to preserve the tie.
So proud of these boys they have come such a far way. They were a pleasure to watch! The Bruns'
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