Regina Rebels eliminated in first round of under-18 hockey playoffs

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The remnants of the Regina Rebels, reigning Canadian female under-18 hockey champions, were eliminated in the first round of league playoffs on Tuesday.

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A goal by Notre Dame Hounds forward Sara Harbus with 11 seconds remaining capped a three-goal third period and gave the visitors a 4-3 victory over Regina at the Co-Operators Centre. Notre Dame won the best-of-three series 2-1.

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“We had a great accomplishment this year, placing third, and we’re leaving on a high note,” said Rebels captain Berlin Lolacher, one of five holdovers from last year’s Esso Cup champions, who is committed to play next season at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Penn.

“It was a tough battle but we stood in there for our rebuild this year. And I think next year they’re going to do great.”

With most of last year’s Esso Cup-winning squad — notably all-star defender Brooklyn Nimegeers and high-scoring forward Stryker Zablocki — either graduated or playing elsewhere, the rookie-laden Rebels finished their Saskatchewan Female U18 AAA Hockey League season on a four-game losing streak and placed third with a 12-14-3-1 record.

They won their opening game 2-1 in overtime, but Notre Dame forced the tiebreaker with a 3-1 victory Monday.

In Tuesday’s finale, second-period goals by Morgan Loney and two from Lolacher gave Regina a 3-1 leading heading into the final frame. Maisie Kozak scored twice for Notre Dame before teammate Kiara Perrett tied the game with a power-play goal at 13:59. The teams exchanged numerous chances before Harbus’ series clincher.

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“We expected more, we certainly did,” said Rebels head coach Kai Leggett. “But give Notre Dame credit. They’re a good team and they’re well-coached.

“It was top line against top line and that’s the way things go sometimes.”

Leggett assumed coaching duties at the end of the 2023-24 season, conducting a Rebels offseason camp shortly after their Canadian championship. He replaced interim bench boss Kim Perepeluk, a former Rebels coach who led the team through the playoffs after taking over with one regular-season game remaining while Hockey Canada conducted a review of Mike Merk.

Merk had replaced Perepeluk in 2016 and led the Rebels to a bronze medal at the Esso Cup in 2023. The review was proven to be baseless and the indefinite suspension against Merk was ultimately rescinded.

“In essence (this team) has a whole new look,” said Leggett. “I’m very proud of them. They did their job and the puck luck wasn’t going our way a little bit.

“That’s exactly what I said to them afterwards, that I’m proud of them. I thanked them for the opportunity and I thanked them for trusting me and our coaching staff for hopefully allowing us to take them to the next level.”

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Notre Dame, which placed sixth during the regular season, will meet the first-place Battlefords Sharks in a league semifinal. The second-place Saskatoon Stars and fourth-place Swift Current Wildcats meet in the other series.

“We just focused on this year,” said Lolacher. “We took last year as an accomplishment and were driving to get there again, but unfortunately we didn’t.

“There’s always next year and the year after that. I’ll be watching.”

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