The Battleford Beaver Blues have been a force this season, following up a first place finish with back-to-back sweeps through their opening two playoff rounds to clinch a berth in the league final for a second consecutive season. (File photo/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Beaver Blues rolling

Beaver Blues punch return ticket to finals in quest for repeat championship

Feb 28, 2020 | 4:24 PM

It is said excellence breeds excellence, and for the Battleford Beaver Blues, that has certainly been the case this hockey season.

Coming off a Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) championship a season ago, the team has only continued to ride the wave of success to another regular season pennant and, after back-to-back series’ wins, another berth in the final with an opportunity to defend their title as champions.

Mike George has played four years for the Beaver Blues, serving as captain of the team each of the last two, before being injured earlier this year. He said the team’s experience gained last season has played a big part in the group’s follow-up run this time around, with the guys as hungry as ever to defend their title.

“It is awesome. That’s why you play the game is to win, and it is not easy to win championships,” George said. “You can ask anyone who’s won one or lost one, there is a lot that comes into play in sports whether it’s injuries, a hot goaltender, or maybe one of your go-to scorers can’t put the puck in, so a lot has to fall in line to win a championship and we’re just looking forward to getting another crack at it in the next week or so.”

The Beaver Blues have been a force through the opening two rounds of the playoffs, chopping their way through the opposition like a beaver to a fresh piece of lumber. The team is coming off back-to-back three-game sweeps of the eighth place Maymont Settlers and sixth place Radisson Wheat Kings, while outscoring their opposition by a combined 43-15 margin over the six games.

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Offensively, the team has been led by forwards Cody Danberg and Brent Salzl, who sit tied atop the playoff scoring race with 15 points apiece through six games. Danberg’s nine goals lead all players, while Salzl’s 13 assists set the high-watermark for set-up men.

The Beaver Blues will now await the fate of the other semifinal series to determine their opponent for the league final. The fourth-seed Turtleford Tigers lead the second-seed Meota Combines 2-1 through the opening three games of their best-of-five series. Game four will be played Feb. 28 in Turtleford.

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Martin.Martinson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: MartyMartyPxP1