Forget about the record setting crowd from last night inside Merlis Belsher Place as it was once again a new attendance record set with 3,013 fans taking in a thrilling Game 2 that saw Mount Royal win 2-1 in overtime, forcing a do-or-die Game 3 tomorrow night. Goaltending was fantastic at both ends of the ice with Roddy Ross turning aside 30 of 32 shots, while Shane Farkas stopped 23 of 24 and was a big reason for the Cougars response.
Game 2 started with lots of chances back-and-forth while the all important first goal coming off the stick of Trevor Wong, setup by Raphael Pelletier who made his first appearance in the postseason. The shots were close after one, with Mount Royal leading the 11-9 overall. The second period was almost a repeat of the first, without any goals and very few shots with each team only getting 4 in the second period. The third period was the biggest of the series so far with Mount Royal’s backs against the wall, but with five minutes left Kyle Walker’s point shot squeaked past Roddy Ross with Teague Patton waiting on the doorstep to tap in the game-tying goal. Moments later, Cougars forward Josh Tarzwell caught Huskies forward Liam Keeler up high and would be assessed a five-minute major for Head Contact, sending the Huskies to the man advantage.
Saskatchewan would only register one shot during their five-minute power play that carried over into overtime, their only shot of the period. Mount Royal had nine shots in overtime with the last coming from Clay Hanus, which found the back of the net to give the Cougars a sigh of relief, knowing they’ll have another chance to capture their first ever Canada West Championship. The Huskies will look to bounce back tomorrow in Game 3 with puck drop set for 6:00 at Merlis Belsher Place. Below is a full game summary courtesy of Canada West and postgame audio from Huskies head coach Brandin Cote…..
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Mount Royal 2 (OT) at Saskatchewan 1 – Status: Final OT1
Saturday, March 8, 2025 – Merlis Belsher Place
Mount Royal 0 0 1 1 – 2
Saskatchewan 1 0 0 0 – 1
1st Period-1, Saskatchewan, Wong 2 (Pelletier), 16:42. Penalties-Walker Mru (roughing), 14:40; Penner Ssk (roughing), 14:40.
2nd Period- No Scoring.Penalties-Patton Mru (roughing), 7:54; Kosior Ssk (roughing), 7:54; Walker Mru (roughing), 13:43.
3rd Period-2, Mount Royal, Patton 2 (Walker), 15:16. Penalties-Holmes Mru (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 0:00; Penner Ssk (unsportsmanlike cnd.), 0:00; Milliken Mru (kneeing), 9:49; Tarzwell Mru (head contact (5 min, game misconduct), game misconduct), 16:41.
1st OT Period-3, Mount Royal, Hanus 1 (Patton), 8:52. Penalties-No Penalties
Shots on Goal-Mount Royal 11-4-9-9-33. Saskatchewan 9-4-10-1-24.
Power Play Opportunities-Mount Royal 0 / 0; Saskatchewan 0 / 3.
Goalies-Mount Royal, Farkas (24 shots-23 saves). Saskatchewan, Ross (33 shots-31 saves).
A-3,013
Referees-Brayden Arcand, Brian Macdonald.
Linesmen-Riley Carriere, Brent Vandermeulen.
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Postgame Media Scrum with Huskies head coach Brandin Cote:
The best-of-three Canada West Men’s Hockey Championship is tied 1-1
NEXT GAME: Game 3 vs. Mount Royal Cougars (3-2) on Sunday, March 9th at 6:00 p.m.
