Fishermen win Game 1 of CRJHL semifinal series against Arborg

The Selkirk Fishermen did exactly what they wanted to accomplish in Game 1 of their Capital Region Junior Hockey League semifinal series against the Arborg Ice Dawgs.

They won the hockey game.

Selkirk took a 1-0 series lead with a 6-4 home win on Sunday evening.

“We got into a little bit of penalty trouble in the first period but after we had a little talk in the dressing room, I think we resolved those problems,” said Fishermen forward Reece Tessier. “We played good for the rest of the game. (Arborg) never quit the whole game, we had to keep going there.”

Tessier had a great game with two goals and an assist (scoring the final two goals of the game despite Selkirk being shorthanded) while Travis Spratt also tallied twice.

Cole Wasnie and Evan Bedard also scored for Selkirk.

Preston Seymour, with a pair, Kalen Guimond and Cameron Sinclair tallied for Arborg.

The Fishermen scored three shorthanded goals while the Ice Dawgs tallied twice on the power play. Special teams are tremendously important in a playoff series and they definitely were in Game 1 of the series.

Riley Bannerman made 23 saves for the win. 

The Fishermen are eagerly looking towards beating Arborg in this series and advancing to the league final.

“We just have to keep working as a team and capitalize on our power play and our (scoring) opportunities,” Tessier said. “We have to keep playing the body and keep going hard.”

Game 2 of the series was played this past Tuesday in Arborg but no score was available at press time. Game 3 is set for Friday in Selkirk and then Game 4 will be played the next evening in Arborg.

If necessary, Game 5 will return to Selkirk next Tuesday while Game 6 is slated for Arborg on March 14. A series-deciding seventh game will be played in Selkirk   March 15.   

Puck drop for the remaining games is 7:30 p.m.

In off-ice news, Selkirk had three players - Bedard, Chad King, and Bannerman - named to the CRJHL all-star team.

Bedard played 32 games, leading the Fishermen with 38 points, including 20 goals. 

King suited up in 25 games, finishing second in team scoring with 32 points (10 goals, 22 assists).

Bannermen posted an impressive 13-3-1 record with a 2.23 goals-against average and .929 save percentage.