The Thompson King Miners continued their undefeated midget AA season through the first round of the playoffs by defeating the Cranberry Portage Winterhawks 9-3 and 6-1 to win their best-of-three series at the C.A. Nesbitt Arena Feb. 24-25.
Sheldon Howard and Trent North each had a pair of goals for the King Miners in their series-opening 9-3 win, with Jonathan Saunders, Keistin Saunders, Justin Spence and Tyler Sylvester adding singles. Trevor Head, Issac Jays and Eric Rutherford were the only Winterhawks to beat King Miners netminder Kenton Brass, who made 23 saves for the win. Kelan Weseen stopped 39 shots in a losing effort for Cranberry Portage.
Howard had two more goals, including what proved to be the winner, in a 6-1 series-clinching victory for the King Miners Feb. 25. He opened the scoring by putting a rebound off the back boards behind Weseen in the first period before Sean Yaworski tied things up with five minute to go before the first intermission on a counterattack rush after the King Miners were repelled in the opposite end.
Howard’s second came just over three minutes into the second period, right after the King Miners killed off a penalty. The home team continued to build their lead through the second period, scoring three more times despite spending more than half of the period shorthanded, at times down two players. Spence had a shorthanded goal to make the game 3-1 and also scored the King Miners’ fifth goal, which came after North made it 4-1 on a partial breakaway just after getting out of the penalty box with nine minutes to go in the second period.
Chase Gurniak had the only goal of the third period and Kruz Mitchell made 28 saves for the win as his team outshot Cranberry Portage 45-29, including 18-2 in the final 20 minutes.
