A bit of a grind in Chesley Tonight.
After a relaxing PD day for most of the players, it was game time tonight at 7 in Chesley versus the Wingham Ironmen PeeWee team.
The message to the team from the coaches was that we needed to start out strong in the first as we have struggled in the first in the past. The coaches asked to give it there all and asked the players to give Owen W as little shots as possible from their opponents.
As the puck dropped, it began to go that way. It was a back and forth tilt and at times puck control eluded the players.
The end result however was one of our best first periods yet.
With only a couple minutes left in the period, Lucas S took a pass from Austin L, loaded it in the cannon and fired it home. We were up 1-0 going into the second
The coaches did their best to keep the momentum of the first going but the 2nd period start was just a tad off.
The message of keeping the shots against low, was left way back in the first period.
Wingham is equipped with some large lads who can rifle the puck. Owen W was kept busy with shot after shot, sometimes left alone with two Wingham attackers just outside the blue paint.
Wingham finally sniped one high at the 10 minute mark knotting things up at 1-1
The Icedogs would quickly answer with Lucas S again lighting the fuse on the cannon and having it tipped in by a waiting Austin L. Up 2-1 with 6 mins gone in the second.
From here our goalie went to work. The tricky Wingham squad lured our defence away many times leaving Owen W facing shot after shot. And not many were easy to handle. We began to struggle in our own zone and with 4:21 left in the second, Wingham tied the game.
Backchecking began to fade and although confident we could head to the 3rd dead even, Wingham sliced a low shot under the pads of our tender with just 49 seconds left in the period.
While the ice was being resurfaced, we had time to gather our thoughts in the dressing room. It was there we acknowledged, there's 15 minutes to play....and this one isn't over. Lets get out there like we did in the first.
Well, the third period wasn't pretty, there were opportunities by a few end to end rushes by Nick P, Daemyn E and Anderson G, but we just couldn't capitalize. The Wingham squad did their best to try and foil our tender but he stood his ground. With only a few minutes elapsed, the great 88, pulled back the hammer, and fired another one home. All tied up.
Our momentum kept rolling and the tiring Wingham squad was kept in their end by the efforts of Cole L, Sean W and Leithan B. Owen M and Ryan S did a great job keeping things in the Wingham end.
Owen M made a few great plays, keeping things onside which allowed Austin L to carry the puck deep, circled out in front of the net and fire a shot, the big juicy rebound was on Kaden C stick, that eventually crossed the line off the Wingham defender. Up 4-3, but still over 9 minutes to go.
In a period riddled with penalties on both sides, neither squad could take advantage. It was an all out scramble for possession on both sides. Owen W saw many more difficult shots and calmly kicked them aside or froze the play when he could. Icings were common late in the 3rd, but with their goalie pulled for the extra attacker, we ground out the last minutes ending up with the win.
It wasn't pretty, it wasn't smooth, but they got it done, as a team from the pipes out.