Northern Bears looking for a spark in second half
January 15, 2026
The Mann-Northway Northern Bears returned from the holiday break on a bit of a down note.
This past weekend, the Bears were back in action in their first regular season games since Dec. 20, facing off with the Sharks in the Battlefords for a pair of contests. There, the league-best Sharks continued to feast as they stay undefeated in regulation winning 2-0 on Saturday, and 7-2 on Sunday.
Despite the downs, head coach Steve Young said there were also some ups.
“The biggest thing I liked is we started and played the game with some energy. I thought as the game went on that we got away from that, but definitely both games that we played, we had some good energy for sure for a period and a half to two periods.”
Following the weekend, the Bears are 4-10-2-3 (W-L-OTW-OTL) on the year, with 11 games to play in the regular season, a record Young said he hoped would be different at this point in the year.
“I expected us to be a little bit higher in wins right now and obviously, those one goal losses and that have hurt us. But, I think down the stretch here, we haven’t seen Saskatoon in the second half, we haven’t seen Notre Dame in the second half. Those are teams that we’re kind of unfamiliar to, so hopefully when we do meet them that we’re prepared to play and get those points back that we need going into the playoffs.”
The rookies have been the backbone of the team this year, as two of P.A.’s top three scorers are first year in Andie Marshall and Reyn Siklenka. Trailing only Jersie Andersen, Marshall sits second in team scoring with 12 points (3g-9a) and Siklenka is right behind her with seven (4g-3a).
Both Bears netminders are also in their first season in AAA and have been putting up some stellar numbers. Maggie Schell has been the first option for P.A. this year where she dons a 3-7-0-0 record to pair with a 2.75 GAA and a .924 SV%, good enough for fifth in the league. Backup Avery Brunen has a 3-6-0-0 record with a 3.44 GAA and a 0.908 SV%.
“We brought in, I believe, 11 new players this year, so we did lose quite a bit. The ones that came into this league and stepped in are ones that we have to rely on to have some production. A lot of the young girls that have stepped in have been able to adjust to the league, which isn’t easy.”
The Bears now turn focus to Sunday afternoon for their next game when they head to Saskatoon to face the defending league champions in the Stars. Then, the team will trek to Swift Current for an odd weekday game on Wednesday night.
“The biggest thing with those games is, especially Swift Current, it’s not getting up and getting ready to get there, it’s the trip home and getting home late and the girls getting up for school. And then trying to practice the next day and preparing for games on the weekend. We just got to make sure we’re focused and ready to play, and when the game’s done, we’ll deal with that part after.”
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