2015 Esso Cup

BAST’S SHOOTOUT WINNER GIVES CHIEFS THIRD PLACE

WENDY GRAVES

RED DEER, Alta. – Carley Wlad (Red Deer, Alta.) scored with 1:25 left in regulation and Mairead Bast (Red Deer, Alta.) had the only goal of the shootout as the Red Deer Chiefs defeated the Central Plains Capitals Thursday night and clinched third place heading into the 2015 Esso Cup playoffs.

The Capitals will play the Sudbury Lady Wolves in one semifinal on Friday (3:30 p.m. MT), while the Chiefs will meet the Saskatoon Stars in the other (7 p.m. MT).

Until Wlad put Skylar Colonna’s (Red Deer, Alta.) centering pass in the back of the net the Chiefs hadn’t shown the fight they had in their first four games. The team managed only 11 shots through the first two periods and didn’t register its first shot of the third until 15:07 had been played.

Both teams, in fact, played a choppy game and were in danger of collaborating to break the record for fewest combined shots on goal. Their 40 shots exceeded the record set by the Calgary Flyers and Edmonton Thunder in 2009 by two, but they played five more minutes than the two Alberta teams did in the first Esso Cup.

With this year’s Thunder losing earlier in the day, the Chiefs and Capitals clinched the last two playoff berths. The only thing left to decide was where each team would finish and who each would play.

The Capitals’ top line gave it an early lead. Sheridan Oswald (MacGregor, Man.) drove toward the goal line, and just before going behind the net dished out front to Emily Upgang (Poplar Point, Man.).

The team doubled its lead 1:41 into the second, when Tamara McVannel’s (MacGregor, Man.) shot from just outside the top of the face-off circle trickled in.

Central Plains’ failure to capitalize on two early power play opportunities in the third came back to haunt it with less than five minutes to go in regulation.

After Abagael Thiessen (Red Deer, Alta.) held the puck in at the blue line, she danced around one defender, used another as a screen and picked the corner to finally put Red Deer on the board.

That gave the Chiefs the kick they needed, setting the scene for Wlad’s heroics minutes later and sending Central Plains to its second shootout of the week.

Sarah Murray (Calgary, Alta.) made 20 saves and picked up her third win of the week.

Kathleen Kosior (Winnipeg, Man.) faced 18 shots in her second start at the Esso Cup.