In front of hundreds of school kids on a Wednesday morning Esso Cup matchup, the host Thompson Okanagan Lakers were unable to muster up much of a fight, as they lost big, 6-2 to the Regina Rebels out of Saskatchewan.
Despite Okanagan scoring first, off the stick of Mena Bhatt, the Rebels promptly responded with four of their own in a ten-minute span.
The Lakers would grab another goal with forty seconds left in the opening frame to cut the deficit to 4-2, but goals in a fifty second span in the early second ballooned Regina’s lead to 6-2, which was the eventual final.
Stryker Zablocki scored the first two goals for Regina, then got the hat trick with the first of the second period. That prompted an outlaw Rebel fan to chuck his hat on the ice, which brought about laughs from the Saskatchewan team’s bench.
The final goal of the game, credited to Katelyn Marshall, was a result of an unfortunate bounce, where the puck dribbled off the skate and stick of a Lakers defender, which froze goaltender Reese Sliskovic, eventually finding its way into the net for an own goal.
Lakers started Denali Forsyth in goal, but pulled her after letting in four goals on 13 shots after the first period. Reese Sliskovic stopped 24 of 26 in 40 minutes of relief.
Rebels goaltender Hannah Tresk got the win, making 23 saves, but left the game late in the third. She was replaced by Adriana Bashnick, who made one save in seven minutes.
After winning their first two Esso Cup games, Thompson Okanagan have been outscored 11-2 in their last two.
One more game remains in the exhausting round robin for the Lakers, as they will play Quebec’s Gatineau Intrepid on Thursday to wrap up five games in five days.
Teams will then get a day off before the semifinals begin on Friday, April 26. At 2-2, the Lakers are third in the six-team standings.
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