By Nathan Kanter

Sharks nearly upset Bears; drop sixth straight

Dec 11, 2017 | 4:00 PM

It was perhaps their strongest game of the season, yet the standings won’t show it.

The Battlefords Sharks nearly took down the defending champion Prince Albert Northern Bears on Sunday afternoon, falling in the end by a score of 6-5.

Sunday’s tight game came just one day after an 8-0 blowout loss to the same team one day earlier.

“We really skated well today,” Sharks head coach Gary Berggren said following Sunday’s contest, in which the Bears broke a 5-5 deadlock with 17 seconds left to take the two points. “All the girls were working hard and as it showed, it came right down to the end.”

Berggren said no particular players or even group of players stood out, as the entire team was clicking.

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“Everybody was going and everybody was playing well,” he said. “D-zone coverage [was strong] and making sure we’re working hard in the offensive zone and defensive zone. Just everything was going well today. Passes were on and getting shots to the net. A lot of the things that yesterday weren’t happening, were happening today, so it was nice.”

The Sharks erased a 4-2 deficit on Sunday when they struck three times in six and a half minutes in the third period.

Cassidy Carlson had two of those three goals, while captain Keara Amson had the other one. Together, they gave the Sharks a 5-4 advantage with 9:56 left in the game.

A shorthanded goal from Miranada Heidt tied the game 5-5, before the Bears got the win thanks to defenceman Jordan Ashe’s sixth goal of the season (Ashe, coincidently enough, will be headed to Nipissing University along with Sharks captain Amson next season).

On Saturday, things were never close between the Sharks and Bears. It was 2-0 after 20 minutes and 5-0 after 40.

“We came out flat. We didn’t skate well. It really showed on the scoreboard,” Berggren said of Saturday’s performance. “When we’re playing against the top teams in the league, we really have to skate to compete.”

The Sharks are now 3-15 this season and have lost six straight.

They have two games before the winter break, as they’ll host Melville for two games this upcoming weekend.

“They’re a good, hard-working team and they’re physical,” Berggren said of the Melville Prairie Fire, who are 4-10-1 this season. “We’re going to have to stay out of the box and make sure we’re disciplined because they are physical.”

The two clubs haven’t met since the very beginning of the season, when Melville won back-to-back games, 9-2 and 4-1.

This weekend’s games are set for 7:30 p.m. on Saturday and 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, both at Battleford Arena.

nathan.kanter@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @NathanKanter11