Bears fall to league leaders at home in final game before Christmas break
ByDaily Herald Contributor-December 22, 2025
The Prince Albert Mann-Northway Northern Bears were feeling pretty good about themselves entering Saturday’s Saskatchewan Female Under 18 AAA Hockey League contest against the first-place Battlefords WPD Ambulance Sharks on Saturday at the Art Hauser Centre.
They had, afterall, collected five of a possible six points with regulation and shootout victories over the Wildcats in Swift Current last weekend, but it didn’t take long for them to come crashing back to Earth as the Sharks scored twice in a 50-second span early in the opening session enroute to a 6-3 decision in the final game before the Christmas break for both teams.
“We started pretty slow and that is why I called the time-out, just to get them refocused,” commented Bears’ head coach Steve Young. “We have to have that compete mentality from the start and we didn’t.”
The Sharks, who are running away with the regular-season title having yet to lose a game in regulation, were led offensively by Danika Dureau. The veteran forward was involved in the first four Battlefords’ goals scoring twice and setting up another pair. The four-point outing propelled Dureau into the league scoring lead with 27 points in just 16 games.
Anneka Aspaas, Charleigh Johnston, Sophie Brecht and Savannah Mucha also scored for the Sharks, who held period leads of 3-1 and 5-1 while also holding a 32-19 advantage in shots on goal.
Jersie Andersen added to her team-leading points total when she netted a power-play marker in the first period. Macy Clarkson and Zoey Krienke also scored for the Bears when they found the back of the net in the waning moments of the game.
Avery Brunen suffered the loss in the Prince Albert goal, but the score could have been much worse if not for a series of splendid saves, especially late in the game when the Battlefords continued to apply pressure.
With the loss the Bears drop to 4-8-2-3 and sit in fifth place in the seven-team circuit. While a glance at the record might indicate a lack of success, Young doesn’t see it that way.
“We have gotten points in nine of the 17 games we’ve played so yes we are happy with what we have put together,” says Young. “There is more in us – we just have to understand that.”
“You look at them (Sharks), they have been together for three years,” added Young. “We are a young team, but you can always learn from other teams.”
The game was the annual alumni contest with several players from the past in attendance supporting the current Bears. The Bears were formed in 2006 and have won a pair of provincial titles during their 20-year run.
A staple for the success of the team has always been a solid volunteer base, but the team is presently in need of adding volunteers to its list. Anyone interested in helping the team with game-day or special-event activities can contact the club at panorthernbears@gmail.com.
Prince Albert will return to action on January 10-11 when they will head to the Battlefords for a doubleheader against the Sharks. The next home game for the Bears is not until January 24 when they will host the last-place Notre Dame Hounds. That, too, will be a twinbill as the Hounds will provide the opposition in another game on January 25.
