It was do or die tonight as Eastman took on the Central Plains Capitals in the third game of the play-offs. Even though this was an unusually late away game in the Cap's rink, the Selects took on the challenge with everything they had. It was back and forth play in the first period and neither team was able to find the net in the opening 20 minutes.
In the second period, the Selects found themselves on a five on three power play, and they broke the stalemate. Sarah Hnytka assisted on a nice shot from Alexis Manningway and Eastman was up 1-0 for the first time in the series. Despite having a mere three defence for this game, Eastman kept the Capitals off the scoresheet. Also, netminder Sydnee Kellsey was exceptional in between the pipes, and the frustrated home team could not solve her through the first two frames.
The arena was electric in the third period, as the throng of loyal Eastman fans who made the late trip to Portage outcheered the home side with gusto. To everyone's dismay, the Capitals tied it up and with only two minutes left on the time clock, they scored again to make it 2-1. Eastman battled hard till the end, but Central Plains popped in two empty net goals to finish off this hard fought match.
Although the Selects season is over, Coach Larocque and our girls can be very satisfied with a final game played with determination and passion. For much of the season, the Selects depleted roster matched up against uber talented teams with four strong lines and a bunch of eager AP's at their fingertips. Eastman did not have this luxury at any point of the season. Ending up in the middle of the pack in the MFMHL is something we can be VERY proud of. Way to go Selects!!