Jan 06, 2019 | Scott Price | 368 views
IceDogs Rock Drayton Tournament
The AEMHA PeeWee LL IceDogs headed to Drayton for a one day tournament on Sunday. Fresh off the Christmas Break, the IceDogs were primed and ready for this one.
Game 1 - The IceDogs had to first play the host team, the Drayton Defenders. The Defenders have an excellent regular season record but the IceDogs were white hot and definitely came to play. Right out of the gate, the IceDogs were flying and Alex S. would deflect a shot by Colby H. after Ben M fed him a beauty pass at the point. The rest of the period was all IceDogs but a little hiccup with a penalty led to Drayton tying the period up late with a fluky one.
The second was a whole lot more IceDog. Once again, Alex would dig out a loose puck at the side of the net and bang it in past a surprised Drayton goalie. Drayton would tie it up again but Austin G. would net a beauty of a power play goal with Ryan P and Larkin driving the net to provide a screen. Next, Gavin H. would hit the blue line with a ton of speed and feed Captain Colby with a sweet drop pass. Colby would drive the net and Rachel L. would collect the rebound and sweep one into the net to make it 4-2 'Dogs at the 2nd break.
The third period had one of the hi-lights of the season. With Austin G. driving play, he would feed Larkin G. on the fly. Larkin hit the top of the circle and let go a cannonading drive. Ryan P would get the tip on net and Eric G. would net the rebound for the first of his career. The IceDogs would put the pedal to the metal all the way to the end in this one and earn a well-deserved 5-2 win.
Game 2 - The Centre Wellington Smurfs were up next. The IceDogs might have taken the Smurfs a bit lightly out of the gate and fell behind early 1-0. The 'Dogs would get a lift when Austin G. ripped a shot from the blue line that the Smurf goalie is still looking for and tie things up at 1's as the period came to a close.
Period 2 would have the IceDogs get their legs back and begin to take over the game. A great play by Dylan P along the boards would spring Alex S. in all alone and he would make no mistake with a nifty backhand deke and the IceDogs were up by 1. The Paisley 3 (Ben-Dylan and Alex) would go to work again. This time it was Ben springing Alex in on a break. Alex's centring pass to Dylan would deflect off a Smurf's skate and find it's way into the net. The 2nd period would end with the IceDogs up 3-1.
The third period had the Smurfs pushing back and they would get a few chances to get back in the game. But, Noah J. was up to the task and turned aside some Grade A chances to help the IceDogs take this one 3-1. With the win, the IceDogs had punched their ticket to the Championship Game.
Championship Game - Another Centre Wellington team was up next. After a bit of a break, the IceDogs were a bit sluggish to open this one and IceDog goalie Dustin V. had to be sharp to keep his team in it. A nice passing play by CW would get them a 1-0 lead after one but the goal seemed to wake the IceDog's from their slumber and they started to get their game back.
The 2nd period was a back and forth affair with quality chances at both ends. Dustin was once again sharp and the CW goalie kept the IceDogs from tying this one up with some lovely saves. CW would continue to hold their 1-0 lead but the IceDogs were coming.
You knew it was only a matter of time before the IceDogs were rewarded for their hard work. This time it was Rachel L. leading the rush and making a great pass to Avery D. Avery would have his shot blocked but Gavin H. collected the rebound and drilled a shot into the net and the IceDogs were in business. With time winding down, the IceDogs hit the post and had some great plays thwarted by the CW goalie. This one was off to OOOOOOvertime.
During the 5 minute Overtime period, the IceDogs held the play and once again had their chances to win it with Ryan P, Alex S and Colby all having chances to score. As the final horn sounded, the game was still tied and we were off to a shoot-out.
Austin G. would collect a goal in the shoot out but CW would get one more than that and take the game and the Championship trophy with the shoot out win. The IceDogs were definitely full marks for the win in this one and showed tremendous heart and determination throughout the day.
The IceDogs would like to thank their fans and family for all their support for a great day. Also, thank you to Drayton Minor Hockey for running a fantastic tournament and congratulations to Centre Wellington for a well played game and deserving Championship.
The Bench staff would like to thank the players for playing their a$$es off and putting Coach Chris's words into action. Not the result we hoped for but we will be a better team for it once the playoffs roll around. Great work today Ben, Alex, Dylan, Ryan, Larkin, Eric, Rachel, Avery, Gavin, Colby, Austin, Nayal, Dominick, Daemyn, Noah and Dustin. We are all very proud of you and your effort.