Bears fall to Sharks in season opener
It wasn’t how the Prince Albert Northern Bears wanted to start the season, but the head coach Steve Young is confident the right pieces are there.
The Bears opened their 2025-26 regular season with a 4-1 loss to the Battlefords Sharks at the Art Hauser Centre on Saturday. Despite the loss, Young said there were plenty of positives from the young Bears roster.
“We knew they (Battlefords) were going to be good,” Young said after the game. “I thought at times we were a little tentative and watched them play a bit, but at the same time there were parts of the game where I felt our girls did what we needed to do against them.”
Andie Marshall had the lone goal for the Bears while Maggie Schell made 40 saves in the Prince Albert goal.
The Sharks bombarded the Bears with shots all night, including 20 in the second period alone. Young said that’s something the Bears are going to have to work on when the two teams meet for a rematch on Sunday.
“Every shot that they did get wasn’t a scoring opportunity, but it wears you down when you’re getting (shots) against in your zone,” he said. “At the same time, we’ve got to turn the tables and get more shots on them.”
The Sharks went up 1-0 near the end of the first period on a goal from Danika Dureau, who led the SFU18AAAHL in scoring last season. The visitors increased their lead in the second with a pair of goals less than three minutes apart from Charleigh Johnston.
The Bears made it 3-1 on Marshall’s goal with 13:23 to play in the second. Jersie Andersen and Londyn Hoffman drew the assists.
The Bears were unable to close the gap, however. Brooke Weber made it 4-1 Battlefords less than four minutes into the third with a wrist shot that beat Schell high short side.
Young said he’s confident the team will be competitive this season, but it will take time.
“We’re a young hockey club,” he said. “I think we only have four or five Grade 12s. We’re going to go through some growing pains early, but I think we’ve got a group that’s prepared to work hard and do the things that we’re asking of them.
“It’s going to take work. We’re going to have to score by committee, but we believe in the girls in there (and) that as the year moves on, we’re going to have a good hockey club.”
The two teams are back at it Sunday afternoon at the Art Hauser Centre. Puck drop is 1:30 p.m.
Article from Prince Albert Daily Harold By Jason Kerr
September 27, 2025