It was a busy weekend for the Cavalcade
Ford Bantam Bears as they headed north to Huntsville for the annual Bob
Beaumont Memorial Bantam Hockey tournament October 14-16.,,,,,,,
The Bears opening game was against Temiskaming Shores. With a rich history of cleaning house in Muskoka, it was a difficult start to the tournament. Struggling to find their feet, South Muskoka seemed to be fighting the universe. Nothing came easy in this game. Scoreless well into the 2nd period, Dustin Labelle sniped a netter to hold the 1 and only goal in this game. As the clock ticked down, this game gratefully came to an end with the Bears winning 1-0.
Game 2 had the Bears facing off against the Innisfil Winterhawks. Fruitless until the 2nd frame, Keegan Mitchell tallied a hat trick with winger, Aidan Baker contributing a beautiful goal of his own. South Muskoka skated off winners with a 4-1 final.
Game 3 brought the Ottawa Sting to centre ice. With only minutes remaining in the first period, Ryan Henderson fed Mitchell for the first marker of the game. Fourteen seconds later, Mitchell bent the twine and scoring once more to notch his 2nd hat-trick of the tournament. Tyler Weese put this game to rest with a final score of 4-1.
All three games led South Muskoka to this moment. The semi-finals pitted the Bears against Temiskaming once again. All or none, do or die, it was “game on”.
By the end of the 2nd period, South Muskoka was down 4-0. Just over a minute into the 3rd frame Henderson detonated a nasty wrister, finally putting the Bears on the scoreboard. Nineteen seconds later Weese went net-side breathing some much needed breath into the Bears bench. Eight minutes later, defenseman Jack Lyndon scored top-shelf energizing the team further. With tension thick and adrenaline flowing, South Muskoka continued to hound the puck, digging deep and muscling their way up the boards. Henderson managed to get his stick on the puck and with 32 seconds remaining , this game was now tied.
As per OT rules, the first OT was 2 minutes of 4 on 4. Up and down the ice this 4th period went scoreless. The 5th period was 2 minutes of 3 on 3. Shots were taken, shots were missed. This period went scoreless. The 6th period went 20 minutes of 2 on 2 until someone hit the net. Both teams showed fatigue and frustration. The dwindling number of players meant the demand of those skaters on the ice were huge. Every stride and every breath brought with it 2 teams who were on the edge of complete exhaustion.
As a Bear player stumbled and fell, the Temiskaming player scooped this opportunity and went 1 on 1 scoring the winning goal. While South Muskoka was deflated, they exonerated true sportsmanship. Heads held high, the boys exited the ice disappointed but not truly defeated.
Head coach Dan Blum had this to say about the weekend and the semi-final game. “Overall, the coaching staff was pleased with the compete level of the team this weekend and the improvement that they are making. The team demonstrated a great deal of character coming back from a 4-0 deficit after two periods in the semi final”.
For up-coming game times, results and all things Bear related, go to: southmuskokaminorhockey.com