The Midget AAA Central Plains Capitals lost a hard-fought, physical game against the Yellowhead Chiefs tonight.  Both teams played hard-nosed hockey but the Caps came up just short in the end.

The teams would play a fairly even first period with Central Plains controlling play for much of it.  It was Yellowhead that hit the board first however when Brian Mentuck slipped the puck past Caps goalie Riley Sveistrup.  The Caps would get it back later on in the period when Alex Cattani managed to redirect a puck past Chiefs goalie Jeremy Dutcawich.  The teams would go to the dressing rooms knotted at one.  Capitals Head Coach Brad Gnidziejko spoke about his teams play in the first.

"I mean we started fantastic. I thought that might have been our best first period of the year.  We outshot them 15-6.  We got decent matchups and once we got them we really started to gain momentum.  We had a couple lines that were really taking advantage of their third and fourth line so lots of opportunity.  They were on the puck and hungry."

The second period was filled with goal scoring action as the Chiefs came out ready to play.  Controlling play for the first part of the period they broke the deadlock.  Owen Wareham tipped a point shot past Sveistrup.  Then, barely a minute later, Kaelen Quane was left alone at the side of the net and Sveistrup just couldn't get over in time to make the stop.  The Capitals would get one of their own in just over two minutes.  Cameron Trimble was left alone in the slot and wired a wrister past Dutcawich.  That was as close as the Caps would get in the second but the Chiefs weren't done.  On a three on two play, Pierce Martin used the defender as a screen and sent a laser of a shot the Sveistrup couldn't even see.  Then, a defensive breakdown by the Caps led to a shorthanded two on one where Ryder Richmond would make no mistake.  Central Plains would end the period down 5-2.

In the third, the Caps played like they did in the first period, hard-working.  On a weak Chiefs clearing attempt, Mitchell Wilson jumped off the bench, kept the puck onside and buried a wrist shot five-hole on Dutcawich.  Again though, Yellowhead struck back.  Brody Wilson slipped behind the Caps defenders, parked at the side of the net and hammered in the puck.  The Caps would score one more Max Neill would find the puck in a scramble in front of the Chiefs net and slip it in past Dutcawich.  Despite controlling play and having the puck in the Chiefs' zone for the last six minutes the Caps wouldn't get another.  The final score was 6-4 in favour of Yellowhead. 

After the game, Gnidziejko offered his opinion on the intense physicality of the game. 

"I thought the refs did a pretty good job they let us go.  I think we got more powerplays than they did by a fair number.  These are kids there's going to be times where if they're competing it might look chippy but I don't think it was all that chippy. I think it was good hard-working first period. I thought we were great in the last six or seven minutes it's the part in between we struggle to put in a whole 60 minutes."

The Capitals will travel to Shoal Lake tomorrow to face the Yellowhead Chiefs in the rematch.  Puck drop is 2:30 pm.