Nov 23, 2015 | dmarling | 1134 views
IT'S GOLD FOR CALVACADE FORD BANTAM BEARS!
Nov. 20-22nd had the South Muskoka Major Midgets along with the Calvacade Ford Bantam Bears playing host to the annual Tim Greavette Memorial Hockey Tournament.With a combined 14 teams spanning all areas of Ontario, it was an action packed weekend piled high with good hometown hockey.......
The bantams opened the tournament against the South Grenville Rangers.
Immediately out of the gate, South Muskoka came on fast and fierce. Half-way through the first pd Shayne Dowling opened up the scoring to give the Bears a big advantage.
Dowling did a repeat performance mid-way through the 2nd.
The third saw the flood gates open as netters went to defenseman Kristopher Brinks, Keegan Mitchell and Dowling ended the evening with a hat-trick.
Final score was 5-0.
Preston Huntbach put goaltending duties on lockdown securing the shut-out.
Game 2 had the Bears facing off against the Dundas Blues.
This was a tight game with loads of end-to-end action.
Defensive partners Tyler Soucy and Brennan Maher were tight on the blueline working hard to bottleneck traffic and shut down their zone.
Forwards Joel Antonides and Conor Quemby were aggressive and strong on the offense end as they were crucial playmakers in this game.
An edge of your seat game, the 3rd frame finally saw scoring with Dowling netting 2 goals and Aidan Baker banking a goal of his own. Baker had a strong presence on the ice with his solid back-checking and aggressive play.
Final score was 3-1 for South Muskoka.
Goaltending duties went to Bradley Webb who was superb in net.
Game 3 had the Bears playing against Caledonia.
This was an intense game. From start to finish this was a very good team who knew how to utilize their size and speed.
The Bears were hungry and gave as good as they got. This game was fueled by fast rushes and incredible team work.
Defensively Jack Lyndon and partner Max Larock were playing at the top of their game.
Lyndon had several good hits while Larock did smart passing to his brothers up front.
Wingers Brendan Zsadanyi and Travis Newman both had strong games as they muscled their way up the boards and fired multiple blistering shots on net.
This game had it all. It was a nail-biter with loads of phyical play as these teams were equally matched. Caledonia scored with just over 4 minutes remaining on the clock. Pressured and focused, the Bears responded with a goal of their own with just over a minute remaining.
As the clock ticked down, this game resulted in a 5 minute 3-on-3 OT play. The pressure of a semi-final game on the line, tensions were high and soon the drama began.
Halfway through the OT play, Caledonia took a slashing penalty. It was a blatant offense and as result, the play became a 4-on-3. Caledonia's bench staff became irrate which resulted in a bench minor. This game quickly became a 5-on 3 play with the Bears on the PP advantage.
Play resumed as South Muskoka worked hard and cycled the puck patiently.
On the hunt, the Bears were waiting for the perfect time to pounce.
Eventually the opportunity surfaced as Lyndon fed Josh Dikeos in the corner.
Dikeos thread the needle with a tape to tape pass where Dowling spanked the puck netside locking the win and making South Muskoka contenders in the championship game. Huntbach was unshakeable in net.
Final score was 2-1.
Game 4 had the Bears playing for gold facing off against South Glenville once again.
With their adrenaline flowing, the Bears were favoured to take this game and they did not disappoint.
Nine seconds into the start of the game Glenville took a penalty which gave South Muskoka the PP advantage. Once again cycling the puck and patience were the recipe for success. Dikeos locked in the goal for a 1-0 lead.
Winger Tyler Weese used his speed by weaving his way to the offensive end setting up several scoring opportunities. Defenseman Connor Marling made good use of his size as he shut the door on any thoughts Glenville had about shooting on net.
Ryan Henderson bulldozed his way up the ice where he detonated a searing shot to make this a 2-0 game.
Mitchell touched the slapshot of Dowling putting the final nail in the coffin with a final score of 3-0.
Once again Huntbach stood tall in net making incredible saves while staying in complete control.
A full team effort, this game was as physical and hard hitting as any this season.
Zsadanyi, Baker and Dylan Schepp were all called up to assist the Bears. All three rose to the occassion having a strong impact with big contributions to the success of this weekend.
Head coach Dan Blum summed the weekend up by saying, " The team's level of competition was very high this weekend. We only had two goals against in four games. Good goaltending and team defense gave an opportunity to win. I'm very proud of these boys."
by Mary Lyndon