With just three games left in their Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League regular season schedule, the Battlefords Sharks are turning in some of their best performances of the year.
After splitting a pair of games last weekend in Wilcox against the Notre Dame Hounds, the Sharks picked up 7-2 and 3-2 wins on Saturday and Sunday over the Weyburn Gold Wings at the Battleford Arena, which gave the team a 3-2 record for the month of January.
“We’ve had some good performances here lately and we’ve made a lot of improvements from where we were before Christmas,” Sharks captain Keara Amson said.
“We aren’t looking too far ahead right now though. Our main focus is just building off of what we’ve done and getting ready for our next opponents.”
Although the Gold Wings have yet to record a win this year, they presented the Sharks with a number of challenges Sunday, as they pushed their opponents to the limit after losing a lopsided affair a night earlier.
“We let off a bit and Weyburn is a team that you can’t afford to do that against,” Sharks head coach Gary Berggren said. “They are a team that takes advantage off teams by working hard and playing the body, which makes them a tough opponent even if their record doesn’t show it.
“The effort that we had on Saturday was really good and there were times where we played well on Sunday. However, there were a few shifts here and there where we didn’t play up to that strong level that we are capable of.”
Maya Tupper led the way for the Sharks on offence Sunday with a pair of goals, while Brooklyn Rowley also found the back of the net.
Jayden Lindholm and Janna Kelsig replied for the 0-22-1 Gold Wings, who received a 35-save performance from goaltender Daneka Dickson.
“She was excellent,” Berggren said. “We had our chances in both games, but she was able to hold down the fort for them in this one to keep it close until the end.”
Haylie Biever made 23 saves for the Sharks, who improved their record 7-18-0 with Sunday’s win.
In Saturday’s contest between the two sides, Tupper scored twice as she found the back of the net for the first time since a 4-1 road loss to the Melville Prairie Fire on Oct. 1, 2017.
“Maya plays defence for us normally but we moved her up to forward this weekend due to an injury” Berggren said.
“Obviously, that move paid off as she capitalized on her chances in both games.”
Rowley had two goals and an assist in the win, while Ali Aitken scored once and had a pair of helpers as she now sits 12th in SFMAAAHL scoring with 25 points in 25 games.
The Sharks also got goals from Sydney Rowley and Madison Sansom, while Biever turned aside 22 shots.
Kierson Hennes and Sierra Meroniuk each scored for the Gold Wings, who received a 36-save performance from goaltender Amara Lewendon.
Thanks to their two wins over the weekend, the Sharks are now three points back of the 8-15-1 Prairie Fire for sixth place in the standings, though the Prairie Fire have a game in hand over the Sharks.
Earning that spot will prove to be important when the best-of-five quarter-final series begins at the end of February, as the lower seed is guaranteed to face either the defending champion Prince Albert Northern Bears or the high-scoring Saskatoon Stars.
“Right now our main focus is finishing up the year on a strong note and competing hard in our last three games of the regular season,” Amson said.
“Our goal is to make it past the first round of the playoffs this year and I think we can match up well against whoever we end up facing. We just need to bring that strong effort all the way through that series.”
The Sharks are now off until Thursday, Feb. 8 when they will travel to the Agriplace Arena in Saskatoon to face the Stars.
Their final home games of the campaign will be on Saturday, Feb. 10 and Sunday, Feb. 11 against the Swift Current Wildcats at the Battleford Arena.
The SFMAAHL regular season will conclude on Sunday, Feb. 18, with the playoffs expected to begin the following week.
