The 2013-14 Calvacade Ford bantam season has started off with a powerful
2-0 record.
Sept. 25th saw South Muskoka playing host to the Collingwood Blackhawks. It took less than a minute before the Bears hit pay dirt as rookie forward Nolan Rochette fed Luca Barnes up the boards. Barnes skirted his way towards the net where he spanked home the first goal of the evening, setting the tone for things to come. Forward Lucas Pringle hustled and dug deep, working hard to stir things up. It was only a matter of minutes before Collingwood nailed a point shot, keeping things tight and heated from early on. Halfway through this frame, Oliver Hammond set up Zac McLennan for a handsome netter keeping the Bears focused and on task. McLennan kept his wits about him and went end-to-end on a break-away, tying things and keeping this continued pursuit of “cat and mouse” alive and well.
The second period somehow went wildly off track as both teams racked up a multitude of penalties. The Blackhawks alone managed 26 penalty minutes in this frame alone. The Bears had their share of box time as they took 20 PIM. While this game became chirpy, physical and heated, it was defenseman Nate Lyndon who made his presence known as he made several strong hits. Lyndon stood solid all game and finally nailed a nasty slap-shot from the point, giving the Bears’ its’ lead and sending a clear message to the Blackhawks:
The Bears came to win and they will not be going down without a fight.
While the players continued to pounce at every opportunity, the Refs were sending a steady rotation of players through the penalty box. At times there were upwards to 4 players per team serving time…a testimony to the force with which every play was being made.
Defensemen Noah Rowland and Dan Cox worked endlessly pinching the boards and holding the blue line. As gritty a game as this was, it was “all hands on deck” as the Bears were unwavering in their pursuit of the puck. Collingwood managed to tie the game yet again, and things continued to get spiral out of control.
It was Lyndon who nailed the coffin shut after being fed a slick pass from Barnes to the point. Lyndon went top-shelf providing a bit of breathing room as finally, the minutes came to a close.
By the time this game was over, Collingwood had an almost unheard of game total 54 penalty minutes while South Muskoka took a plentiful 34 PIM.
Final score was 6-5 for the Bears.
Netminder Lucas LaHay was exceptional in net. LaHay was peppered at times but continued to shut down his crease with sharp glove saves and quick floating moves.
LaHay was crucial to this win.
Game 2 had the Bears pitted against their arch-rivals, the Parry Sound Shamrocks. All a part of the “Hockey Day in Muskoka” activities, this game did not disappoint.
Forwards Drew Peacock, Owen Morris and Joey Dowling hit their shifts with speed and intensity as they rushed the puck working tirelessly to get it on net. Their hard work paid off when forward Rochette sniped a shot for Peacock to jam it home, giving the Bears a 1-0 lead.
The puck continued to see both ends of the ice as Parry Sound fought hard to shake things up. Early in the 2nd, the Shamrocks snaked their way up the ice securing a goal and making this a full on dog-fight.
Defensively Campbell Coutts and Lyndon slammed the door on the blue line, shutting out Parry Sound and setting up some slick offensive plays.
The Bears were patient as they cycled the puck, working it from player to player. Finally, Hammond hit the tape of Ben Little. Little made no mistake of his intentions as he fired the game winner, keeping the Bears alive.
Shots were fired and shots were missed.
Ultimately this game came to a close with a final score of 2-1 for South Muskoka.
LaHay tended the pipes securing his crease and keeping tight reigns on his zone.
This coming weekend will be a busy one for the bantams as they squeeze in 3 games.