Crossroads staff
The West Central Bantam Wheat Kings were just one win away from being the Saskatchewan Bantam AA Hockey League champions after winning game one Monday.
The Wheat Kings, northern division champions, defeated the southern representatives, the Regina Monarchs, 5-1 in Dodsland Monday to take a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-three finals.
Game two was scheduled for Thursday in Regina, followed by game three, if necessary, back in Dodsland Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The winner of this series will move on to the Western Canadian Bantam Championships.
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In Monday’s game, the Wheat Kings were up 2-0 after 20 minutes of play. Brody Gasmo scored unassisted at 17:09 of the period and Logan Linklater scored the second of the game, the eventual game winner, with just 48 seconds remaining in the period, shorthanded.
In the second, Tylin Hilbig scored on the power play at the 2:09 mark to give the Wheat Kings a 3-0 advantage.
The Monarchs would score their lone goal of the game, with just one minute remaining in the period, on the power play.
In the third period, Eric Robbie would add some insurance and Kyle Heintz followed closely behind to make the final 5-1.
Noah Martens was in net for the Wheat Kings.
The Wheat Kings advanced to the finals after defeating the Saskatoon Outlaws, the regular season champions, in three games in the northern finals.
After losing game one, 1-0 in Saskatoon March 11, the Wheat Kings followed up with a 4-3 win in Dodsland and a 7-1 victory in Saskatoon March 16.
The winner of this series will play in the Western Canadian Bantam Championships.
Correction
Last week’s story stated that the midget AA female team fell short in their provincial quest by losing to the Saskatoon Impact. In fact, it should have stated that they were playing in hopes of a league title.
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