The Norman Northstars finished off the 2018/2019 season on a high note with a two-game weekend sweep of the Interlake Lightning.

The two teams had played twice earlier in the season, with the Lighting coming away with all four points.

This weekend was different, however, and started with a 5-4 shootout win for the Northstars.

The Nor-Man side did not have the lead at all throughout the game, as it was a continual cycle of the Lightning scoring and the Northstars tying it up. The shootout is where that changed, however, as Henry Muchikekwanape was the only player to put the puck past either goalie.

Muchikekwanape was key in the Northstars comeback with two goals and two assists in regulation.

Yesterday’s game was very different, as the Northstars were red hot on the power play and didn’t let up.

Interlake led 2-0 late in the first period before Kadin Ross and Keistin Saunders scored to send the teams into the break all tied up.

Goals from Jamie Valentino and Jordan Pfoh put the Northstars ahead in the second with power play, setting the stage for the third period.

Muchikekwanape scored with the man advantage less than a minute into the third.

Pfoh finished the afternoon with seven points (1g, 6a), while Saunders had five points (1g, 4a). Both Valentino and Hunter Rambow finished with two goals and two assists each.

With the wins, the Norman Northstars climbed out of the league basement with a record of 8-38-2-.

Muchikekwanape finished the season, and his midget hockey career, with 61 points (34g, 27a). That total was good enough to finish 13^th in league scoring. In 104 career games with the Northstars, Muchikekwanape had 52 goals and 42 assists for 94 points.

Captain Hunter Rambow also finished off his midget hockey career yesterday, posting career best numbers in goals (21), assists (28) and points (49). Rambow finishes his Northstars career with 102 points in 137 games.

The Thompson King Miners are the champions of the Nor-Man Midget “AA” Hockey League.

The King Miners finished the regular season at the top of the table with a record of 20-2, and faced off against the Cross Lake Islanders.

The Islanders, who finished third in the regular season, made the final after defeating the Flin Flon Bombers two games to one.

Game one of the championship took place in the C.A. Nesbitt Arena Friday night, and was a lopsided affair. The Cross Lake Islanders, playing with a short bench, struggled offensively as the King Miners came away with a 13-2 win. Casper Stoker led Thompson with six points (3g, 3a), while Jonathan Saunders, Kale Mayor and Murphy Krentz each had four points.

Cross Lake captain Chris Ross, who led his team with 11 points in three games against Flin Flon, only managed to get onto the score sheet with four penalty minutes.

Saturday’s game took place in the Gordon Beard Arena, and was a totally different affair from the night before. The first period was very competitive, with the Islanders showing why they were able to make the finals for a second year in a row. That competitiveness evaporated in the second period, however, as Thompson began to distance themselves on the scoreboard. Later in the period, a brawl erupted on the ice that saw multiple players ejected from the game.

Thompson won game two 11-1 to take a 2-0 series lead.

Sunday’s game wasn’t what anyone wanted to see; a forfeit from Cross Lake. The King Miners took to the ice to warm up, but were not joined by the Islanders. Officials delayed the start of the game, but decided to start running the clock as Cross Lake was still not on the ice despite the fact that the team was sitting in their dressing room. After the clock had run for the entirety of the first period (20 minutes), the game was called.

The forfeit resulted in a 1-0 victory for Thompson, giving them the 3-0 series sweep.

The matchup between Thompson and Cross Lake was a rematch of the 2017/2018 final, which saw the Islanders come out on top.