BRIERCREST CLIPS VOYAGEURS’ PLAYOFF HOPES

CARENPORT, SK – Barkman Arena? More like Dark, man! Arena for the Portage College Voyageurs! The host Briercrest Clippers turned the lights out on the visitors' 24-25 slim playoff hopes February 8-9, posting a pair of convincing victories over the weekend.

On Friday night, the Clippers showed why they are at the top of the ACAC standings this late in the season, outshooting the Voyageurs 46-22 and outscoring the visitors in every period. The following afternoon, riding the momentum of the previous game, the hosts roared out to a 9-3 lead after 40 minutes and cruised to an 11-6 victory. Brandon Kelly was a one-man wrecking crew, notching two goals and adding five assists for a seven-point night. To their credit, the Voyageurs didn't roll over, outscoring the Clippers 3-2 in the third period. Xavier Halterman and Payton McDonald-Corea led the way with a goal and two helpers each while Tye Evans potted a couple of markers in defeat.

"We had a pretty strong third on Saturday," said Assistant Coach Pierre Sparklingeyes, calling the shots behind the bench for the pair of tilts with Head Coach Kevin McClelland under the weather. "We actually outscored them for period there but it was kind of too late…It doesn't really mean anything. It doesn't really boost their morale, they just want to get out of there kind of thing."

To be fair to the Voyageurs, they aren't the only team to find Barkman Arena inhospitable. The Clippers' barn is a notoriously difficult place to play, particularly in recent years as the squad has climbed up the standings. Indeed, so far this year, Briercrest is 9-1 on home ice.

"They just know how to play so well in there," said Sparklingeyes. "They are a very experienced team and the guys were kind of shellshocked when they stepped up to play that game on Friday night and it just continued on Saturday…We just couldn't stop the bleeding."

With four games left in the season – a home and away series against Augustana followed by a pair of home battles against defending champion Red Deer Polytechnic – the coaching staff will use the opportunity to evaluate the current roster with next season in mind.

"These guys are playing for opportunities to return to the team next year," said McClelland a few days after the Briercrest matches. "There's going to be a lot of decisions to be made and I think we're definitely going to have to cut some ties with some of the guys which is always tough."

Having said that, the head coach added that the 2024-25 edition of the Voyageurs have rarely been fully healthy, which has contributed in part to their 3-17 record so far. He emphasized that the only time the team dressed the lineup he envisioned in training camp was February 1 and 2 in Calgary against SAIT, where the Voyageurs grabbed three points against the top contenders, losing 4-3 in overtime and then winning 6-5 in extra time the next day. McClelland is now left to ponder what might have been.

"That first half (of the season) was tough with some of the guys we had out of the lineup….You know, we had some gunners out of the lineup," he said. "That's not an excuse but those two games in SAIT showed what could've been this year."