Eston Ramblers battling through first playoff round

By Jordan Parker

The Eston Ramblers emerged victorious from their first playoff game last week and look to push past the Outlook Ice Hawks.

The Saskatchewan Valley Hockey League team rose above 3-2, and coach Justin Oliphant was pleased with the result overall.

“We played well and had a really good first period. We ran into trouble in the second with some penalties,” he said.

“The team was a bit back on their heels. But we rallied for a strong third, played defensively, and got the win.”

While much of the team is the same as the last few years, Oliphant singled out a few young players making a big difference.

“Riley Lahey is in his second season here, and Jack Hartsook came over from Junior B hockey. He plays every position we ask him to, and he’s making an impact,” he said.

Though they played well in their first playoff game, it’s been an up-and-down season for them. They went 11-7-0-0, and finished tied for fourth among ten teams.

“We had a really strong start but hit some rough patches in the middle. With guys away at Christmas, people getting COVID-19 and other issues, it wasn’t all easy,” he said. “That said, we did finish with a pretty good record and are excited about the playoffs.”

The team was supposed to play their second playoff tilt against Outlook on Sunday, but it was postponed to the following Sunday due to COVID-19 issues. For Oliphant, it just gives them more time to prepare.

“They have players from Junior A who are super fast and really skilled. They also have a few imports, and Outlook could be hard to handle. We need to be ready for what they bring,” he said.

The first playoff game saw six different players nab points on the three goals and an incredible performance from goaltender Tyrell King, who let in only two goals on 36 shots.

“King is one of the better Senior Hockey goalies. He’s been a rock since he started playing for us in 2015,” he said. “Tyrell is just solid every game, and we couldn’t ask for anything better.”

There is one thing Coach Oliphant hopes the team can do to continue the success they’ve seen of late.

“We always seem to get in trouble and end up in the box. If you can stay out of the box, you can have success. We can focus there,” he said.

Assistant Captain B.J. Somerville was happy the team got the win against Outlook.

“The game was mostly good. There was a stretch in the second that we didn’t play as well as we could have,” said the defenseman. “We left chances there, but we played well overall.”

“If we have a full roster, we can be hard to beat. We just need to play a full 60 minutes here.”

Assistant Captain B.J. Somerville greets some young fans.

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