Maroons Win in Double OT

Matt Dyck scored 4:25 into double overtime to give the Altona Maroons a 4-3 win over the Plum Coulee Xpress in game one of the SEMHL best of seven final.

The Maroons raced out to a 3-1 lead after the first period, out-shooting the Xpress 17-7 in the opening period. The Xpress fought back through in the final 40 minutes of regulation, scoring a goal in the second and the third periods to force overtime.

The Maroons were all over the Xpress in the opening period and if it weren't for the play of Plum Coulee netminder Jayme Janzen, the game would have been out of hand early. Leading scorer Devon Leblanc opened the scoring for Altona early in the first period with his eighth of the playoffs. Craig Neufeld quickly made it 2-0 for Altona with his first of the post-season.

Dereck Heppner put the Xpress on the board later in the period chipping a puck past Carey Dyck, cutting the Maroon's lead to 2-1. However, Altona would get that one back late in the first when Shea Hamilton snapped a shot over Janzen on the power-play giving Altona a 3-1 lead. They took that lead into the second period while out-shooting Plum Coulee 17-7 through 20 minutes.

Plum Coulee leading scorer Anders Strome got the Xpress back in the game with a goal in the second and another one in the third to tie it up. Those goals were his 15th and 16th of the playoffs.
With the score tied at three and the shots at 35 a piece, game one of the final went to overtime.  The first overtime solved nothing and the game headed into the fifth period.

Then 4:25 into the second overtime period, Nick Fuher let a shot go from the left point and Matt Dyck was able to deflect it over Janzen to give the Maroon's the 4-3 win. Dyck finished the game with a goal and two assists.

Jayme Janzen was out-standing for the Xpress finishing the night with 47 saves on 51 shots. Carey Dyck settled in after a shaky first period and made 52 saved on 55 shots. One of Dyck's biggest saves came on a penalty shot with just under eight minutes to play in the third period which would have given the Xpress the lead.

Game two of the South Eastern Manitoba Hockey League final will be played Tuesday, March 20th at the Millennium Exhibition Centre in Altona. Puck drop is at 8 p.m.

-photo's courtesy Merle Peters-