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The Westman Wildcats staved off elimination last night with a clutch 4-2 victory in Winnipeg over the Avros.

The Wildcats came out very focused and with a solid forecheck to start the game. McKenzie Meek got the Wildcats on the board early in the 1st period as she drove hard to the net and buried a rebound into the back of the net. Cammy Clyne set up the play with a well placed shot.  The Wildcats continued to generate excellent chances at the net but were unable to stretch out the lead.  Their momentum was taken away with a couple of penalty calls and the Avros were able to tie the game on their second powerplay of the period with just under five minutes to play as the Wildcats failed to make a clearing play and a quick shot from the high slot through traffic found the back of the net. The Wildcats had to kill off a third penalty before the period was out.  The period ended 1-1.  The Wildcats outshot the Avros 12-8 and picked up 3 of the 4 penalties in the period.

In the 2nd period the Wildcats came out with the same sense of urgency as in the 1st.  They were rewarded just over four minutes into the frame as Ashton Bell turned over the puck in the offensive zone and directed a shot through traffic that hit an Avros defender and made its way to the back of the net to make it 2-1.  The Wildcats weren't done there as just over two minutes later Haley Wickham batted home a rebound off a shot from the point by Katie Crowe to make it 3-1. Camryn Clyne also picked up an assist on the play. The Wildcats sensed blood and were rewarded with some hard work again two and a half minutes later as Andrea Sanderson picked off a clearing attempt and moved it low to Aly O'Hara who took a shot on net that was blocked by the Avros defender right to Kenzie Robinson who outwaited the Avros goaltender and scored on the backhand.  The period would end 4-1.  The Wildcats outshot the Avros 14-9 while the Avros took 2 of the 3 minor penalties in the period.

In the 3rd period the Wildcats stifled the Avros in their own zone for much of the period. They did give up one goal midway through the period as an unfortunate bounce led to a 2 on 1 that the Avros scored or.  Shots on goal were 7-6 in favour of the Wildcats.  Each team took a minor penalty in the period.

Shots on goal in the game were 33-23 in favour of the Wildcats.  Jenna Marshall picked up the victory in net.

The fifth and deciding game will be played on Sunday, Feb 28th at 2:00 PM in Hartney.  Come out and support your Wildcats.

The Westman Wildcats were again defeated 2-0 on home ice on Wednesday night in Hartney.

The Avros took the lead midway through the 1st period after a puck slipped out of the offensive zone and led a breakaway to make it 1-0.  They would score another goal with 1 second left on avpowerplay late in the 2nd period off a goalmouth scramble.

The Wildcats mustered 38 shots on the Avros netminder but were once again stymied by some solid play.  Westman was penalized 3 times and the Avros 4 times.  

Kaitie Slator suffered the loss in net.

The two teams next face off on Friday night at the Keith Bodley Arena in Winnipeg.  Game time is 7:15 PM.

The Westman Wildcats were defeated 2-0 on home ice today in Hartney.

The Avros got off to a quick start with a powerplay goal off the rush that changed direction and ended up in the back of the net.  They would score another goal early in the 3rd with a deflected shot to go ahead 2-0.

The Wildcats mustered 31 shots on the Avros netminder but could not solve her while the Avros fired 19 shots on the Wildcats net.  Westman was penalized 5 times and the Avros 4 times.  

Jenna Marshall suffered the loss in net.

The two teams next face off on Wednesday night in Hartney.  Game time is 7:30 PM.

The Westman Wildcats traveled to Winnipeg Saturday night to play game 1 of their opening playoff round against the Winnipeg Avros.  Despite holding home ice advantage in the series, the Wildcats agreed to play game 1 in Winnipeg on Saturday night after the Winnipeg team chose to cancel game 1 in Deloraine on Friday night due to poor road conditions outside of Winnipeg.  

The Wildcats dominated play in the opening frame, hemming the Avros in their end and generating numerous quality scoring opportunities. They found themselves down 1-0, however, as an errant pass led to an Avros goal at the 6:37 mark of the period.  The Wildcats kept pushing and Mckenzie Meek was rewarded when she batted a rebound out of the air to tie the game at 1-1 with 3:50 left to play in the period.  Kenzie Roach and Brianna Willams picked up the assists on the play.  The Wildcats outshot the Avros 13-4.  No penalties were called in the period.

In the 2nd frame it was more of the same as the Wildcats pushed to take the lead.  The Avros goalie stood tall, however, and the period remained scoreless.  The Wildcats outshot the Avros 11-3 in the period.  The Wildcats took the lone penalty.

In the 3rd period, Ashton Bell scored on a breakaway at the 15:54 mark of the frame to put the Wildcats in the lead.  Andrea Sanderson and Katie Crowe picked up the assists.  The Wildcats continued to press but were unable to push the lead to two goals.  Just past the midway mark of the frame the Avros were able to squeak one across the line on a 2 on 1 break to tie the game at 2-2.  The Wildcats put on a furious push at the end of the period to get the win in regulation but were repeatedly denied, including Bell, who ripped a shot off the crossbar with 4 seconds remaining.  The game would go to overtime.  Shots on goal in the 3rd were 13-8 in favour of the Wildcats.  The Wildcats also received the only two penalties in the period.  

Once again, in overtime, the Wildcats pushed hard and carried the play.  They were rewarded just under 4 minutes into the OT when Ashton Bell picked up a puck in the neutral zone, beat a couple of Avros defenders and buried a snap shot under the bar to get the victory.

Final shots on net were 38-15 in favour of Westman.  The Wildcats picked up 3 penalties in the game while the Avros did not pick up any.

Kaitie Slator picked up the victory in net.

The Wildcats host the Avros for game 2 this afternoon, Sunday, Feb. 21, in Hartney at 4:00 PM.  

The Westman Wildcats were defeated 4-3 in a shootout on Friday night in Manitou.  

The Wildcats got off to a rough start in the 1st period, giving up an even strength goal at the 16:29 mark of the opening period.  Pembina Valley would stretch that lead to 2-0 with a powerplay goal midway through the period.  Each team took 1 minor penalty.  Pembina Valley outshot the Wildcats 10-9 in the frame.

In the 2nd period, the Wildcats came out much more focused and energized.  They slowly began to dominate the game territorially and generate numerous scoring opportunities.  They were rewarded at the 8:59 mark of the period when Courtney Ganske fired a shot top shelf with the assist going to Ashton Bell.  Ganske would score again on the powerplay with 3:23 remaining in the period to tie the game.  Bell tallied the lone assist. Unfortunately, PV would score on a powerplay of their own with 56 seconds remaining in the period as the puck deflected off a Wildcats defender.  Each team took 1 minor penalty.  The Wildcats outshot PV 16-3 in the period.

The Wildcats tied the game midway through the 3rd period as Andrea Sanderson finished off a pretty passing play.  Courtney Ganske and Ashton Bell picked up the assists on the play.  Westman pushed hard to take the lead but the PV goaltender stood tall.  Westman took 4 of 6 penalties in the period and outshot PV 11-7.  

Overtime solved nothing and PV were able to score on the 5th shot of the shootout to win the game.  

Jenna Marshall suffered the loss in net despite making a couple of game saving stops when the Wildcats worked to tie the game.

The Wildcats finish the regular season with 17 regulation wins - 5 regulation losses - 1 overtime/shootout win - and 5 overtime/shootout losses for 41 points.  They now await the conclusion of the regular season to see who they will play in the 1st round of playoffs.  Game 1 is this Wednesday, Feb 17th, in Hartney at 7:30 PM.

The Westman Wildcats defeated the Yellowhead Chiefs 2-1 last night in Hartney in front of a large and raucous crowd.

Andrea Sanderson helped the Wildcats get off to a great start scoring on a breakaway 31 seconds into the 1st period, with the assists going to Mackenzie Roach and Courtney Ganske. The remainder of the period was a back and forth affair as both teams fought for open ice.  Yellowhead outshot Westman 10-7 in the period.  Each team received one minor penalty.

The Chiefs returned the favour 15 seconds into the 2nd period as some wet ice behind the Wildcats net led to a turnover that resulted in the tying goal.  It took a couple of minutes but the Wildcats were able to overcome the momentum that Yellowhead received with the quick goal and get their game back in order.  Westman went on the powerplay with just under 5 minutes remaining in the period where Ashton Bell was able to score off a great pass across the seam from Katie Crowe at the 4:22 mark of the period.  Courtney Ganske picked up the other assist.  The 2nd period would end with the Wildcats leading 2-1.  Westman outshot the Chiefs 8-4 in the period and the Chiefs took 3 of the 4 penalties.

In the 3rd period the Wildcats got off to a rocky start again for the first couple of minutes but they were able to clean up the play in their own end and get back to their puck control game. Their penalty kill and shot blocking was the difference in the period as they would have to kill off two penalties in the 3rd including one in the final four minutes of the game.  The game would end 2-1.  Westman outshot the Chiefs 3-2 in the period and took 3 of 4 minor penalties.

Kaitie Slator picked up the victory in net, stopping 15 of 16 shots on net.

The Wildcats travel to Manitou on Friday night to face the Pembina Valley Hawks in their last regular season game.  Game time is 7:30 PM. 

The Westman Wildcats were defeated 2-1 last night in Hartney.

Sheridan Oswald gave the Capitals a 1-0 lead midway through the 1st period on a wrist shot that squeaked its way through the Wildcats goalie's equipment and found the back of the net. That would be the only scoring of the period as the post save the day twice for the Wildcats in the final few minutes of the frame.  Shots in the period were 11-6 for Central Plains.  The Wildcats killed off the lone penalty of the period.

The 2nd period really tightened up for the 1st half of the period as both teams struggled to generate any solid scoring changes until the midway point of the frame when Oswald, who was left unchecked, scooped up a rebound and found the back of the net to put the Capitals ahead 2-0.  The Wildcats seemed to get their feet moving after that and generated a couple of good scoring chances, including a 2 on 1 chance where they hit the post. The period ended 2-0, however, with the Capitals outshooting the Wildcats 7-6.  There were no penalties in the frame. 

In the 3rd period the Wildcats came out hard and were rewarded as Ashton Bell scored to make it 2-1.  Brianna Williams and Shae Vallotton assisted on the goal. The Wildcats pushed for the equalizer and missed on a couple of glorious chances to tie the game but, in the end, the Capitals hung on for the win.  Shots in the 3rd period were 8-4 in favour of Westman.  The Wildcats took the lone penalty in the period as they took a late one in the 3rd as they pressed for the tie.

Kaitie Slator suffered the loss in net.  Final shots were 22-20 in favour of Central Plains.  The Wildcats took 2 penalties while the Capitals took 0.

The Wildcats travel to Pilot Mound on Sunday to face the Pembina Valley Hawks at 2:30 PM.

The Westman Wildcats defeated the Interlake Lightning 10-1 on Saturday night in Hartney.  Mckenzie Meek, Courtney Ganske, and Aly O'Hara had two goals each while Ashley Seekings, Kenzie Robinson, Camryn Clyne and Ashton Bell each had singles.  Kenzie Robinson picked up 4 assists for 5 points on the night. O'Hara added 3 assists for a 5 point night. Katie Crowe had 4 assists.  The Wildcats outshot Interlake 74-4 on the night.  Jenna Marshall picked up the victory in net, giving up the lone goal against off a 2 on 0 breakaway after a blocked shot.

1st Period

7:34 - Wildcats Goal - Meek from O'Hara and Robinson

4:46 - Wildcats Goal - Seekings from Clyne and Ganske

Penalties - 1 each

Shots - 21-0 Westman

2nd Period

17:50 - Wildcats Goal - Ganske from Vallotton

16:48 - Wildcats Goal - Robinson from Crowe

4:09 - Wildcats Goal - O'Hara from Bell and Crowe (powerplay)

2:00 - Wildcats Goal - Clyne from Crowe

0:09 - Wildcats Goal - Bell from Robinson and O'Hara (powerplay)

Penalties - Interlake - 3, Westman - 1

Shots - 23-2 Westman

3rd Period

16:22 - Wildcats Goal - Ganske from Walker and Sanderson (powerplay)

15:28 - Wildcats Goal - O'Hara from Robinson and Crowe

13:13 - Wildcats Goal - Meek from O'Hara and Robinson

Penalties - 1 each

Shots - 30-2 Westman

The Wildcats next game is at home on Friday night, Feb 5th, when they host the Central Plains Capitals. Game time is 8:00 PM.