Jan 30, 2020 | Kevin Waddell | 418 views
A long awaited update
Well a preoccupied coach has been lacking on the progress of our crew. As the season winds down, here are some updates on the past few weeks.
During the Christmas break we faced off against our Arran Elderslie #2 Pee Wee Team. In the midst of the holidays our lads were full of Christmas cheer and perhaps a few too many turkey dinners. After the beginning of the season loss to our squad, Julies group was fired up for this one. Our lads tried shaking the glimmering lights and thoughts of their Christmas spoils, but in the end well fell to a 2-1 loss to our closest rivals.
With the holidays and fear of returning to school, the team took on Zurich in a home game in Paisley on Jan 4
Coach Kevin and the bench staff began the new year by implementing the fun and importance of team work. Well the message began to take hold and the lads were back in form for this one.
A 7-2 Victory showed the team work as assists were plentiful. Goals by Sean, Leithan, Lucas, Kaden, Cole and Austin were accompanied by their teammates assists by Braden, Austin, Ryan, Anderson, Cole and Kaden. It was great to see the team work clicking as the lads were looking out for one another.
The following weekend had games on both Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday the 11th we traveled to Southampton to face the Saugeen Shores 2 team. With a couple bodies missing for this one, a surprising volunteer in Anderson stepped up to play forward. And surprised we were.
With a whopping 5 goals from the "Great 88" and singles from Austin, Anderson and Cole, the final tally was 8-1 Icedogs. Owen was carrying a shutout late into the third, however a late jab from the Saugeen Shores forward, made him decide to take matters in his own hands. On the bench, we thought Saugeen Shores was called for the late jab, little did we know that there was a few too many upper cuts with the blocker. On the power play, Saugeen Shores netted their only goal. It was a great effort by the lads and all were firing on all cylinders.
On Sunday the 12 we hosted a rematch against the tough Blyth-Brussels team. Our first meeting was a lop sided 4-0 loss. Well we had a surprise in store for them this time. In a truly gritty effort by the Icedogs, we battled hard and kept the score within 1 goal for the entire game. The final was a 3-2 loss but we showed we could dance with the big boys. Austin brought the "B" game for both goals and Lucas had both helpers. A gritty performance by everyone and we left the barn with heads held high.
On a cold and blistery Thursday night we headed to Wingham on the 16th. As one of our close rivals in the standings, it was another great team effort by our squad. Owen W stood his ground in the pipes and we gave it 110 percent as a team. With only a pair of goals coming from Anderson and again the great 88, we fell to the Ironmen 4-2 but the result on the scoreboard did not reflect how well we are meshing as a team.
Finally, we faced off Sunday at home against the Saugeen Shores #2 team for a rematch. The boys were absolutely fired up for this one, as there were comments made at the tournament in Mildmay that was fresh in their minds. Well, the lads didn't disappoint. With another "hatty" from the "Great 88", 2 dingers from Liethan and couple more snipes from Cole, the lads finished up with a commanding 7-0 victory. A jubilant group gathered around their goalie after the final buzzer as they worked hard to help their goalie earn his first shut-out of the year. It was an amazing sight to see the team mesh together and enjoy the fruits of their labours as a group and a team.