On
Sunday, November 12th, 2017 the Norstar Novice Rep Bears travelled
to Port Carling to face off against the Muskoka Rock.
The Bears started off with a roar. After the opening puck drop, the Rock had the
first shot on net but Corbin H. made his first great save of the game to stop
the Rock from advancing. Then, only two
minutes in, Jack McG. caught the puck on a pass and stormed down the ice,
catapulting it in to get us on the scoreboard.
Corbin H. made more impressive saves to protect the lead.
In a battle behind our net, Wyatt G.
poked it out, where Joshua D. picked it up and passed it to Jack McG., who gained control of the puck again and on a breakaway, swept in to score our second goal of the game. The second half of this period had the Bears clearly on the offensive. Kye D. and Phenix C. made valiant shots on net. Then, with just seconds left in the first period, a puck drop in the Rock’s end was picked up by Grayson C., who passed to Lincoln W., who ended up flipping the puck in as the seconds ticked down to end the first period with us up by 3.
Second period play resumed and neither team was giving up. Both teams were playing well and the Rock was making us work for it. Then, three minutes into the period, Grayson C. picked up a smooth shot from Oliver A., who passed it from just inside our blue line. Grayson C. then rocketed down to take a high hard shot in net. Unfortunately, their goalie made a great save, thwarting us from scoring again. But this added fuel to the fire for the Bears, and just seconds later, Wyatt D. banged it out of our end and up past both blue lines, where Grayson C. picked it up, swooped in and sent another missive directly at their net. While that shot miraculously didn’t go in, Grayson C. got control of the puck again and shot it in front of the net, where a strategically placed Phenix C. picked it up and tipped it in, to up our lead to 4. What teamwork! The next few minutes saw Jack McG., Kye D. and Lincoln W. keeping the pressure on the Rock, with many shots being made on net. The Rock weren’t giving up though and with 5 minutes left in the period, they slipped one in, scoring their first goal of the game. Jack G. was a brick wall this period, not letting any pucks get by him. Within minutes of the first goal, Wyatt G., from in front of our net, set up a fantastic play, when he scooped up the puck and launched an aggressive offensive attack, carrying the puck on a breakaway past both blue lines for an incredible shot on net. The puck ended up behind the net where Grayson C. descended on it and catapulted it in front of the net. This shot was picked up by Charlie D. who was smartly placed in front of the net, and who slammed it in for our 5th of the game. Nice!! With three minutes left to play, the Bears domination continued, with Phenix C. netting the next goal after picking up a pass from Jack McG. This ended the second period with the Bears up 6 – 1.
Third period play resumed with the Bears still in control. From the opening face off, Grayson C. made a pass to Lincoln W., who passed it to Kye D. Then Kye, from near the blue line took a fantastic shot which netted us our next goal and upped the score to 7 – 1. Seconds later, Grayson C. had another breakaway and clipped in our 8th goal of the game. Minutes later, Evan A. slammed it in to up our lead to 9. Giving the Rock their dues, they kept on fighting and minutes later it paid off as the Rock tipped in their second goal of the game. Wyatt G. put on another strong offensive play with just minutes left in the period, making another great shot on net. Wyatt D. was a great addition to the team today; he was quick on his feet and battled for the puck throughout. With this great teamwork, the third period ended with a team victory, 9-2.
While our offensive lines were clearly on fire today, it was our strong defensive lines, Jack G., Wyatt G. and Joshua D., helped out today by Jack McG., that kept the play in the Rock’s end to allow for those scoring opportunities. Jack G.’s shots are solid and he is making fantastic passes. Joshua D.’s use of the boards is moving the puck farther each game and Wyatt G.’s speed is just incredible. This support assisted Corbin H., who had a shut out period and only two goals against all period.