Eyes on the prize: Combines captain, Bryce Gatzke and his teammates enter play Friday night in St. Walburg just a single win away from a third straight SPHL championship. (Martin Martinson/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By Martin Martinson

Series 3-0 Meota

Combines, North Stars tangle for pivotal Game 4 of SPHL Finals

Mar 15, 2024 | 5:10 PM

It’s a big weekend ahead in the Saskatchewan Prairie Hockey League (SPHL) Finals, as the senior hockey championship series is on the brink heading into a massive Game 4 Friday.

In the first of what could be two games this weekend between the Meota Combines and Glaslyn North Stars, it is the Combines who carry a 3-0 series lead into the weekend, just a win away from securing their third straight senior hockey championship, and fourth in the last five seasons (2023, ’22, ’18).

Combines forward, Aaron Cadrin said heading into the weekend, the team’s focus is all in on the game in front of them, with a chance to close it out and not give their opponent any chance to build momentum.

“We’re going in full speed Friday, with a full mentality of closing it out,” Cadrin said. “We’re not even thinking about a Game 5 if we don’t have to.”

Despite the series being a 3-0 count, all three of the games have been tight, with at least a single lead change over the course of the night. In fact, the North Stars have led each of the first three at various times, prior to comeback wins by Meota.

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The Combines have been finding a different hero every night to come up with the big goals on their run, with that role in Game 3 played by top-line forward Michael Pylypow, who tallied a pair including the literal last-second tying goal just ahead of the second intermission to knot the game and turn the tide of momentum heading into the third.

“That was a tough way for them to close out the second and it gave us a ton of momentum in the third, you could tell we had all the momentum at that point and it was just a matter of time until we took the lead,” Cadrin recalled.

However, just as the Combines have reason to be confident they can close things out this weekend, the Glaslyn North Stars unite in with the belief that the series is still far from over, especially with the return of three key cogs to the lineup for Game 4.

Top-line scorer William Desjarlais, who sits fourth in playoff scoring with 14 points in just five games, and depth forward Darian Clarke will both draw in for their first game of the series. Heart-and-soul leader Darren Delainey also returns for his first action since taking a shot off the head in Game 1, which he ‘butterfly-bandaged’ up to finish the game.

“Getting those three guys back is just huge,” head coach, BJ Carey said. “Darren’s a warrior and he’s through-and-through MVP of anybody’s playoff team, diving in front of pucks and doing whatever he can to win. Willie gives us that extra scoring punch, and Darian is a shutdown guy that can also finish, so he just gives us more options to finish those games out.”

Game 4 Friday night in St. Walburg will begin at 8 p.m. If needed, Game 5 will then be played Saturday night back in North Battleford at the ACC at 8 p.m.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

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