The prospect of a double or triple overtime would turn the legs to noodles for most players just thinking about it . Five overtime periods to decide a provincial goes beyond anything players or coaches in Hockey Sask’s U18 Female League could have imagined. That’s what it took for the East Central Fillies to come up with the win over Milestone in their league final played in LeRoy.

The Fillies had gone 18-1-1 on the season and were considered one of the foremost threats in the League, but the Milestone Flyers stuck with them stride for stride on Sunday, March 26 in a battle for the ages. 

Game two in the series happened after the Fillies took an early overtime victory in game one at Milestone, bringing the series back to the home arena in LeRoy. The challenge the Flyers gave the Fillies in Milestone was only a harbinger of things to come in LeRoy on Sunday.

Fillies Coach Murray Elhert recounts that leading up to overtime, the Fillies opened the scoring, but Milestone responded with a pair of goals to take a one goal lead. In the dying seconds of regulation time, Jayda Braun put one past the Milestone netminder to enter into the marathon overtime fray.

“Everybody was playing pretty cautious, pretty tired,” says Elhert. “Nobody wanted to mess up. Their goaltender got really hot; we outshot them, but we were lucky to eventually get the one that mattered.” That goal came at 14:12 of the 8th period of play. 

In the end, it was a testament to the fitness of the players on both teams, along with the strategy of playing the full bench throughout the season. It was a strong group of players, says Elhert, a group that never shirked or “belly-ached” when it came to putting in the extra skating during practices. To him that made the difference. Still, Elhert was quick to give credit to his opposition.

“I think the other team played just as well. They played right with us, so it was a bounce either way. Our team had to have somebody to play against for eight periods of hockey.” 

Elhert says at the break between the 7th and 8th periods, his players were laughing and joking in the dressing room. The bodies may have been exhausted, but the spirits were high. The coach figured that’s when he knew they would prevail.

With Bryer Renwick’s game deciding goal, the herculean task was complete hours after it started. Goalie Allie Edwards mental toughness anchored the team and the entire roster finally celebrated their second provincial win in two years, one that no one will forget.