By Jeff D'Andrea

All Bears all weekend; beat Hounds 11-0 in two-game sweep

Jan 11, 2015 | 3:20 PM

It was all Prince Albert A&W Bears this weekend. Not only did they sweep the Notre Dame Hounds in a two-game set this weekend at the Art Hauser Centre, but they didn’t concede a goal either. The Bears enjoyed a 5-0 win on Saturday, before a 6-0 trouncing on Sunday.

“To put up 11 goals and to shutout twice, that was close to our plan before the weekend started,” said Bears head coach Jeff Willoughby. “To see the plan go through and work out for us, that (will build) a lot of confidence for us.

Defenceman Brooke Hobson helped in both sides of the ice. She had a goal and an assist in Sunday’s game and was named the player of the game, after scoring a goal on Saturday. But as a blueliner, she helped the Bears tenders Jessica Vance and Shayla Youngman keep their clean sheets, as well.

“It’s great. Our defencemen and our forwards backchecked hard for our goalies this weekend,” said Hobson. “Our goalies made some key saves and having some shutouts is really good for the team.”

It should be noted that the two wins were against the Hounds, who uncharacteristically sit last in the SFMAAAHL standings with just two wins this year. But Willoughby and the Bears coaching staff made sure they got the best of their team on the weekend.

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“We’re always on the girls. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re playing the best team in the league that night,” said Willoughby. “These are six huge points we needed and we got it.”

The Bears now have 41 points on the year, second only to the Saskatoon Stars.

Sunday, Bears 6 Hounds 0

After a scoreless first period, it only took Jessica Lutz eight seconds in the second period to draw first blood.

Bears defender Brooke Hobson added another goal late in the frame to give the Bears a 2-0 lead heading into the third.

Midway through the third after Bears forward Faith Volk, linemate Kaitlin Chickowski buried the rebound for the Bears’ third goal of the game. Ireland South made it 4-0 at the 11-minute mark, tapping home a loose puck in the Hounds crease.

Tylor Lindsay and Faith Volk both scored in the final minute to extend the scoreline to 6-0.

Bears goaltender Shayla Youngman made 20 saves for her second shutout of the season.

Saturday, Bears 5 Hounds 0

The Bears took care of business on Saturday with a 5-0 win over the Hounds to set the tone for the weekend.

Faith Volk got the first goal of the weekend to give the Bears a 1-0 lead after the first. The Bears pulled away in the second period, winning the frame 3-0 and outshooting the Hounds 18-2. Ireland South, Madison Casavant and Brooke Hobson all found the back of the net in the second frame.

Casavant added another goal in the third period, her second of the contest and 11^th on the season. The 17-year-old Casavant, who hails from Melfort, is now ranked third in the SFMAAAHL in goals.

The Bears went 3-6 on the power play in Saturday’s game.

Bears goaltender Jessica Vance made 12 saves for the shutout, the 14^th of her career to regain the SFMAAAHL record. Current Regina Rebels goaltender Tatum Shand has 13.

Upcoming

The Bears won’t play again at home until Jan. 21, when they’ll take on the top-ranked Saskatoon Stars.

Before then, the Bears are off to the Battlefords Jan. 17-18 for a two-game set against the Sharks.

jdandrea@panow.com

On Twitter: @jeff_dandrea