Sat.
February 4th, 2017 saw us host the Huntsville Near North team at
home in Bracebridge. We played this team
once before back in October and won but Near North has been progressively
moving up in the ranks and is now third in the league, breathing down our
second-place necks. However, going into
this game missing two crucial players, Lincoln W. and Ben W., could we maintain
our second place league finish?
Play was even throughout the first period. Mason W. came out strong with the first solid shot on goal. Chase R. followed up with a nice play to send the puck packing out of our end and back down to theirs. Grayden Z. followed up with a great flip shot on net. Then, a minute later, Corbin H. made a great save to keep the score even at 0. There were lots of great shots on net in the next few minutes; by Mason W., Helmut A., and Paige O. to name a few. Wyatt G. stole the puck and stickhandled well past a few Near North players to make a strong offensive play. However, at 4:36 left to play in the first period, Near North snuck in a goal to take the early lead. Shortly after the goal, Joshua D. hustled and stole the puck from one of their players to send it back up to their end. Daichi McE. and Paige O. wreaked havoc on the Near North’s offence, keeping the puck in their end despite the Near North’s efforts to the contrary. Paige W. and Wyatt G. played well together on an offensive line. Wyatt G. had a great breakaway for a shot on net, and then, he passed it to Paige O. who with only 1:35 left to play, was right in front of the net, and flipped it in; scoring our first goal of the game, and also, her first goal of the year! Well done Paige and Wyatt – great team effort!! The last minute of play saw our team ramp it up; Mason W. made a great steal and final shot on net and then Grayden Z, who was camped out in front of the net, adamantly tried to poke it in. Mason W. with only seconds left, made a final toss at the net, but we ended the period tied 1 – 1.
The second period saw some tough hockey. Daichi McE. won a fight for the puck and Paige O. made a great play up the boards. Wyatt G. continued to pepper the net with shots, and then on the next shift, Mason W. and Grayden Z. both made some spectacular shots on net, with Grayden Z. flipping the puck up just shy of going in the net. Colton H. continued to hustle for the puck and used the boards well to send it out of their end. He also was able to block two potential runs on net. Then at 5:54, despite our strong efforts, the Near North scored again, putting themselves back in the lead, 2 – 1. Right after that, our goalie, Corbin H. made a great save to stop the gap from widening. Daichi McE. made a solid pass to Paige O. who tried to shoot in her second goal of the night. Beckett R. also had great positioning right in front of the net and caught a pass, going on to make a solid shot on net. With the second period ticking down, our offense ramped it up, but to no avail, the second period ended with us still down by 1.
Was our three game undefeated streak about to come to an end? Enough was enough….within the first 9 seconds of play, Mason W. , assisted by Joshua D., wasted no time belting in a goal to tie the score up once again. Beckett R. made a nice pass to Chase R., who also took another shot on net. Wyatt G. and Colton B. kept pace with the North to keep deflecting the potential shots on net. Paige O. and Wyatt G. were on fire. Wyatt G. made a great steal and sent it flying to Paige, who caught it and had a nice breakaway. Beckett R. made a great pass to Joshua D. who carried it down the ice. Then Helmut A. and Chase R. also worked well together to carry the puck back down into our end. Goalie Corbin H. was particularly quick this period; he was determined and focused and made some great saves and dives to stop the Near North from advancing or scoring any goals during this third period. Despite both sides best efforts, neither team prevailed – the final score ended up 2 – 2 after an intense third period.
This game showed great teamwork by all our players. The lines were communicating well with each other and there was the most passing we have had in our games. The players set themselves up well and for early on a Saturday morning and with more ice time than usual, they showed great hustle and determination, even when the Near North took the lead. They never gave up, played hard and had fun. Congratulations team – that was a well fought battle!