Cochrane’s Cole Passmore (13) gets a shot on Fort Macleod goalie Carter Henderson as he is checked by Race Jenkins.
Race Jenkins scored two goals 28 seconds apart in the third period Sunday as Fort Macleod Mavericks punched their ticket to the provincial hockey championships.
With a 5-3 win over visiting Cochrane Rockies, the Mavericks earned the right to represent the Central Alberta Hockey League at the Tier 3 U18 provincials March 30 to April 2 at Provost.
Fort Macleod, Cochrane and Chestermere Lakers played off in a round-robin tournament to decide their league’s representative.
The Mavericks beat Chestermere 10-6 but lost 6-5 to Cochrane as round-robin opened last month. Cochrane beat Chestermere 6-2 in their first game.
Fort Macleod beat Chestermere 11-5 Friday at the Piikani Nation Multi Purpose Arena and Cochrane beat Chestermere 7-5 Saturday.
That set up Sunday’s showdown between Cochrane and the Mavericks at the Fort Macleod and District Sports Centre.
Mavericks 11 Lakers 5
Fort Macleod scored four unanswered goals in the second period Friday on their way to an 11-5 win over Chestermere.
Chestermere had a good start and led 4-3 after the opening 20 minutes.
The Mavericks took control in the second period building a 7-3 lead, and added four more in the third before Chestermere got its fifth and final goal.
Race Jenkins led the Fort Macleod attack with five goals and three assists and Ryan Burrows had a goal and five helpers.
Marshal Tailfeathers had a goal and four assists, Jack Grier had three goals and one helper, and Tennessee Bruised Head also scored.
Hayden Archibald had two assists and Travis Loyst had one.
Carter Henderson made 35 saves to record the win in goal for Fort Macleod.
Mavericks 5 Rockies 3
Race Jenkins scored twice and Ryan Burrows added another goal in a span of three minutes as Fort Macleod snapped a 2-2 tie on their way to a 5-3 win.
Jack Grier staked Fort Macleod to a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period, assisted by Burrows and Jenkins.
Grier got his second of the game two minutes into the middle period, this one shorthanded with an assist from Burrows, and Fort Macleod led 2-0.
That lead stood up for 10 minutes until Cochrane scored goals two minutes apart and the teams went into the break tied 2-2.
There was no scoring through 11 1/2 minutes of the third period until Race Jenkins scored, assisted by Jack Grier.
Just 28 seconds later Jenkins scored again, assisted by Grier and Burrows, and Fort Macleod led 4-2.
Burrows got Fort Macleod’s fifth goal with 5:18 to play, Grier getting the assist.
Cochrane got its final goal with just under five minutes to play as the Mavericks rolled to a 5-3 win.
Carter Henderson made 32 saves in the victory.
Cochrane’s Cole Passmore (13) gets a shot on Fort Macleod goalie Carter Henderson as he is checked by Race Jenkins.
Fort Macleod goalie Carter Henderson and defenceman Marshal Tailfeathers combine to deny Cochrane’s Nathan Hill.
Jack Grier of the Mavericks fights his way for a shot on Cochrane goalie Blake Ironside.
Race Jenkins (3) of the Fort Macleod Mavericks fires what proved to be the winning goal past Cochrane goalie Blake Ironside.
Ryan Burrows of the Fort Macleod Mavericks crashes the crease in front of Cochrane goalie Blake Ironside.
