CANORA – “Make the final, your Canora Cobras 6, the Esterhazy Flyers 4!”
With that nod to popular long-time TSN broadcaster Vic Rauter, the Voice of the Cobras Aaron Nagy celebrated the final whistle of Canora’s home ice victory on Dec. 12.
After a slow start to the season, the Canora Cobras pushed their winning streak to three with the win over the visiting Flyers, one of the top teams in the SEHL south division, on Dec. 12.
With outdoor temperatures in the neighbourhood of -30℃, an announced attendance of 187 braved the bitter cold to come out and support the home team.
The Cobras outshot the Flyers 21-10 in the first period, but came out of it in a 1-1 tie. Canora opened the scoring with under five minutes remaining, only to have Esterhazy tie things up just 10 seconds later.
The second period was the big one for the home team, outscoring the Flyers 4-2. Derrick Schwartz of Runnymede led the way with a hat trick, including one while his team was shorthanded.
Cobras Coach Darren Schwartz said the reason for the team’s success was relatively straightforward.
“We stayed out of the penalty box for the most part and outworked them,” said Coach Schwartz.
“We’re getting back to what we did last year, to be successful we have to put our work boots on. We’re not as gifted as teams like Esterhazy. They’re a veteran team and they like to skate, some of their players have even played pro hockey. We banged them, hit them, wore them down, and capitalized on our chances.”
The third period was relatively even, with each team scoring once. For the game, the Flyers outshot Canora 42-37, including 32-16 over the final two periods. After a difficult start to the day, Schwartz said goalie Ross Hawryluk of Regina played a large role in the win.
“He was late because of car trouble, so he didn’t get a warmup. But he showed that he’s always focused, and made some big saves for us. We played defensive hockey and gave up some shots. With Ross back there we can do that once in a while, but definitely not all the time.”
In addition to the hat trick by Derrick Schwartz, Logan Foster of Grayson scored twice and added an assist, while the other marker came from Scott Mickoski of Regina.
“It was good to see Derrick get the hat trick,” said Coach Schwartz. “We know he can score goals, he was just snake bit for a while. Mickoski was the same.”
Damien Bentz of Madge Lake assisted on three Canora goals, while Carson Dereniwsky of Canora set up a pair. Single assists came from Carson Dennis and Tanner Denesowych of Canora, along with Carson Sass of Melville and Troy Zulyniak of Yorkton.
At the end of play on Dec. 13, the top six teams (north and south divisions) in the SEHL standings, including the Cobras, were separated by a total of three points. With both divisions combined at the end of the season for playoff seeding, wins in upcoming games take on more and more importance heading toward the end of the regular season.
The Cobras get back on the ice in the New Year on Sat. Jan. 3 with a trip to Wapella to take on the Blackhawks, followed by a home game against their long-time rivals from Theodore at the Canora Civic Centre on Sunday, Jan. 4.
“We need to have a full house against Theodore,” said Coach Schwartz. “They’ve been playing well, we’re going to need the support.”
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