Nordiques’ season ends in second round of playoffs Published March 26, 2010 By John Stuart Staff Writer TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- It was the Nordiques team captain Jim McCarron who summed it up best. "Well, this isn't how we envisioned this one going, did we guys?" There were several minutes to play and the Nordiques were facing all but definite defeat at the hands of the Warriors. McCarron's words seemed to embody the sentiment of most Nordiques players when they later lost 7-2 Sunday, bringing their season to a close after only the second round of playoffs. After earning the right to be called league champions in the previous summer and winter seasons, the Nordiques had high hopes for finishing well in this season's tournament. But it wasn't meant to be for the division two squad, as they went against a tall and agile Warriors team. It didn't start or end particularly well for the Nordiques. Before Tinker knew it the first period was over and the Warriors were up 4-1. Tinker's only diamond in the icy rough was Kyle Bostic's goal in front of the net at 5:15. "It's just old fashioned hockey," McCarron said as the Nordiques took to the ice at the second period. But the second wouldn't prove better at all. At the end of the second, the Warriors had netted three more goals while the Nordiques struggled with passes and shots on goal to no avail. Finally Tinker's Jason Stefanski found purchase in the third, when he put one in the back of the net with 10:20 on the clock. It was too little too late, and the war-weary Nordiques fell to the Warriors - who allegedly picked up several division one players for the tournament. Typically some teams will bring in a few better players for the tournament, McCarron said. It's not often, however, that a significant number of them from an upper division will play on one team. But the yoke of blame still stayed at home for the Nordiques, chalking up their loss to poor execution and variable play throughout the year. "This is the most inconsistent year we've had where we looked like the best in the league one week then looked really bad the next," McCarron said. "We never really had a chance to come together and string some wins together." It's an especially bittersweet finish for McCarron, a Canadian with the 552nd Aircraft Control Wing Canadian Component. In a few weeks the Canadian sergeant will deploy to Southwest Asia for four months and not be able to play hockey. It's the last time to play with the Nordiques for months, and the first time in his life he's had to go without the sport for longer than two weeks. The Nordiques finished the season at 13-4-1, but they'll return for summer league play that starts in a few weeks.