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Chaos sweep Eagles, preparing for round two

"It really helps to be able to draw on past experiences and maintain composure if you get down. We found that in both games against Lethbridge as they tied us late in game one and were ahead of us 2-1 after the first period in the second game and our team did not panic - just worked hard and chipped away to get our wins."
20181102 Cochrane Chaos vs. Calgary Jags DL 0953
The Cochrane Chaos are preparing for the next round of playoffs. File photo File Photo

The Cochrane Chaos hockey team is once again just one step away from the Alberta Junior Female Hockey League (AJFHL) finals after taking down the Lethbridge Eagles two games to none in their best-of-three series on Feb. 28 and 29.

After finishing second in the South Division with a 17-8-3 record, the Chaos took on the third-place Eagles who finished substantially behind Cochrane with a 9-18-1 record. In Game 1, the Eagles got out to a 2-1 lead after the first period, but Cochrane tied it up at two during the second period. Both teams got goals in the third to send the game to overtime where Cochrane prevailed with a 4-3 victory. The Chaos got two goals from Kelly Stanford, while also getting goals from Summer Gibbons and Kirsten Mumby. Goaltender Kate Kowalchuk made 25 saves in the victory. 

There was little time for rest and recovery as both teams hit the road down to Lethbridge for Game 2 the following day. The pesky Eagles once again struck out to a 2-1 lead after the first period. The remainder of the game was all Cochrane though as they got two goals in the second period before potting their fourth goal in the third period to win the series with a 4-2 victory.

Chaos head coach Derek Loomer said the tough series against Lethbridge should help his team as they move forward in playoffs.

"Lethbridge played very hard and got great goaltending resulting in two very good games which we won the first one in overtime and got an empty-net goal to win by two in the second. I believe it was a good learning experience for our team as it took a lot of character to stick to our structure in close games like that," he said.

"It really helps to be able to draw on past experiences and maintain composure if you get down. We found that in both games against Lethbridge as they tied us late in game one and were ahead of us 2-1 after the first period in the second game and our team did not panic - just worked hard and chipped away to get our wins."

The Chaos will now face the first-place Calgary Titans in the next round of playoffs, a team that has given Cochrane some tough games over the course of the season.

"The Titans have a very strong team this year and I expect them to come at us hard. We need to be prepared to match their speed and make sure we finish our opportunities to score when we get them," Loomer said.

"We have to take away the middle of the ice and clear out our house in our end and be prepared to battle to win pucks in the offensive zone to score."
 
Times and dates have yet to be determined for the Chaos' upcoming series against the Titans.

Troy Durrell

About the Author: Troy Durrell

Troy is the Sports and Entertainment Reporter for the Cochrane Eagle.
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