Ethan AnsteySA国际影视传媒檚 hockey season is now over and it ended in perhaps the cruelest way possible.
The 20-year-old Anstey and his Flin Flon Bombers were eliminated from the Centennial Cup, CanadaSA国际影视传媒檚 Jr. A hockey championship, by the Pickering Panthers of the Ontario Junior Hockey League on May 27 by a score of 3-2 in sudden-death double-overtime. It was a game where the Bombers had a 2-0 lead in the second period but let it get away.
Anstey said it was a game of two parts.
SA国际影视传媒淥ur power-play got us two goals and that gave us more confidence SA国际影视传媒 it was growing as our lead did,SA国际影视传媒 he said.
Problem was the Panthers scored their two goals down a man and Anstey said thatSA国际影视传媒檚 always a killer.
SA国际影视传媒淭hose are the daggers for any team,SA国际影视传媒 he said. SA国际影视传媒淏ad enough you give up one short-handed goal in a game but two is even worse.SA国际影视传媒
Going into overtime, Anstey said the confidence was still there mostly because the Bombers knew they would probably get their best chance.
SA国际影视传媒淭heySA国际影视传媒檙e an undisciplined team and we knew they would take (a penalty),SA国际影视传媒 he said. SA国际影视传媒淭hey did and we had the power-play in the first overtime but we couldnSA国际影视传媒檛 come through.SA国际影视传媒
PickeringSA国际影视传媒檚 winner came off a point shot which Anstey said fluttered past Bombers goaltender Cal Schell, a shot he never saw.
SA国际影视传媒淚 watched it go in and my heart sank,SA国际影视传媒 he said. SA国际影视传媒淚 was devastated. I looked down the bench at the guys and it was heartbreaking.SA国际影视传媒
Had the Bombers won, they would have had a semifinal rematch with the Dauphin Kings of the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, who the Bombers beat in the round-robin, 2-1, in a shootout.
SA国际影视传媒淲e knew we would have had that game locked,SA国际影视传媒 said Anstey. SA国际影视传媒淲e knew what we had to do to beat those guys but we missed our chance.SA国际影视传媒
The Bombers, representing the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League, advanced to the playoffs thanks to a record of three wins and one loss in the round-robin stage. The lone blemish came at the hands of the Summerside Western Capitals of the Maritime Hockey League on May 23, a 4-1 loss.
Even though the Bombers had the same amount of wins as both the Capitals and Kings, they finished third because two of those wins came in overtime. The tournament uses the international points system, where regulation-time wins are worth three points and overtime/shootout wins are worth two, while a loss in overtime is worth one point.
This was AnsteySA国际影视传媒檚 first trip to the national championship and itSA国际影视传媒檚 a trip he thought he never would have made had he not been traded twice during the season. He began this season with the Fort McMurray Oil Barons of the Alberta Junior Hockey League before being dealt to the Cowichan Valley Capitals of the BC Hockey League during the pre-season. He was traded to the Bombers in January.
SA国际影视传媒淓verything happens for a reason,SA国际影视传媒 said Anstey. SA国际影视传媒淚 found a team I could stick with and I never thought I would get to play in a Game 7 for the SJHL title and make it to the quarter-finals of the national championship.SA国际影视传媒
As of now, Anstey plans on returning to Flin Flon for what will be his final season of junior hockey but he said it all depends on what the team wants to do.
SA国际影视传媒淭he team will have changes but I would love to come back because I love it here,SA国际影视传媒 he said. SA国际影视传媒淚t reminds me so much of YellowknifeSA国际影视传媒