The Sackville Bantam Rangers finished second overall with a five win, two loss record in the C division playoffs of the South East New Brunswick League. Strong play down the stretch put them in a position to win the division in the last game of the playoff round robin. However, they came up short in a 6-5 loss to the other Sackville Rangers team on March 30, who captured the banner with a perfect 7-0 playoff run. The Rangers fell 3-2 to Cumberland NAPA on March 23, and defeated the Moncton Pumas 1-0 on March 29.
The final playoff game was a thriller from start to finish. The score was 3-2 for the White Rangers after the first period. The Blue Rangers first goal was scored by Sebastian Leblanc, with assists to Abbi Burns and Simon Bruce. Burns scored her first of the season at 10:21, with an assist from Bruce. Bruce then scored a shorthanded unassisted goal just 18 seconds into the second period to tie it up. Devon Richards blasted a slapshot from the top of the faceoff circle just a minute later, with an assist from Brendan Johnston, to take a 4-3 lead. The White Rangers tied it at four apiece, and then Bruce scored with an assist from Burns near the end of the second period for a 5-4 lead.
The teams traded chances in the third period. The White Rangers tied it midway through the period, then scored a shorthanded goal with just two minutes left to earn the victory. Brandon Steeves scored three times for the White Rangers, with Anton Sianchuk scoring twice, and Braden Selkirk scoring the winner. Shots were 33-26 for the Blue Rangers. Caleb Silliker was strong in nets, making several difficult saves.
In the Cumberland game Sackville fell behind 2-0 early. Bruce scored at 7:21 with assists to Leblanc and Johnston to make it 2-1. Cumberland scored late in the second to go ahead by two. Selena Estabrooks had a good chance to score on a great pass from Danika Acton early in the third period, and Leblanc nearly scored on a breakaway. Bruce made it 3-2 with assists from Burns and MacQuarrie, but the Rangers could not find the equalizer. Shots were 21-18 for Sackville.
The Rangers came out flat against the Pumas and failed to register a shot in the first nine minutes. With four minutes left in the second period, Johnston sent a pass to Bruce and he and Leblanc went in on a 2-1 rush. They beat the defender and then Leblanc scored on a nice goalmouth redirection. Mitchell Green and Jordan Hicks played tight defence in the final minutes of the game, blocking several shots during the Pumas’ scramble for the tying goal. Final shorts were 14-10 for the Pumas.
Sackville also participated in the West Colchester tournament in Debert, N.S., from March 26-28. They lost their opener 3-2 to West Hants #1, defeated West Hants #2 2-1, and lost to the host Cobras 3-2 in a shootout. Bruce scored both goals in each of the first two games, and Leblanc and Bruce scored in the final game. Over the course of the tournament, Robert MacQuarrie had two assists, and Leblanc, Johnston, Caleb Spencer, and Morgan Wells each had one assist.
With the season now over, the team thanks the coaching staff of Ryley Smith, Neil Silliker, and Rufus Wheaton, and team manager Denise Acton, for their time, commitment, and dedication.
