Mar 08, 2020 | Kevin Waddell | 434 views
Moving up in the playoffs!
Coming off a great practice on Saturday, the PeeWee LL#1 squad traveled to Ripley for a rematch vs Huron Bruce PeeWee LL
The coach held his head low as a couple promised skate sharpenings were left far behind in Chesley. A big thank you to the locals for donating a pair of skates and a couple parents who tagged teamed up to bring the proper skates in time for the 3rd period.
The lads were pumped up regardless, and with 3 wins needed to help us move on, it was time to focus on one game at a time.
The lads were firing on all cylinders and maybe the sting of the last meeting had them determined that today was going to be different. Right off the get go, the forwards were thinking the two way game. Back checking was glaringly evident as many neutral zone attempts were cut short by back checking forwards. Even in our own end the defense stood tall. Battles in the offensive zone lead to many opportunities and we took the battles to the boards hard. (Reminded me of something we worked on in practice......hmmmmm)
Part way through the period the hard work paid off. During an exchange of lines, Cole L. fed it up to a speedy Austin L who took it down the left side then lobbed a high pass to the far right side of the net where Sean W stuffed it home.
The boys battled on and many attempts in our own zone were played well by Owen, Daemyn, Nick, Ryan and Anderson.
Huron Bruce managed to get a couple opportunities but Owen W stood tall, and kicked them aside. The Defense handled the rebound control and left Huron shooting from far and outside.
At the break, the lads were all smiles as they knew they were clicking as a team and were having a blast doing so. They had each others back and they tilted the ice in their favour.
As the second got under way, the relentless forcheck continued. With a little less than a minute off the clock, Sean W kept the puck behind the net, feeding it to Cole L. deep in the left corner. After a few swaggering moves, Cole L fed it to a wide open Lucas S, and the great 88 rifled it home.
There's no better site for a coach that when all 5 players on the ice come together to celebrate a goal. They recognized the team work and rejoiced in it.
Things got a little rough as the 2nd wore on and once again a soft call on a hook by Owen M. Gotta watch that kid, he's taller than he looks lol.
We were unsuccessful on a previous powerplay but we nailed it on a great penalty kill. Again, Owen W was sharp a couple attempts but the defense and penalty kill unit kept it out for the majority of the 2 minutes.
Much to the joy of the coach, the missing skates arrived during the flood.
However we were sitting on the dreaded 2 goal lead. We are not good with 2 goal leads. They get us everytime. So the message was clear, keep doing what you are doing. Keep the foot on the gas.
This time we capitalized on the Power Play. After keeping the play alive in their end, Anderson G fed a cross ice pass to his defense partner, Ryan S, who sent a low shot in on net. The rebound landed on the tape of Sean W who stuffed home his 2nd goal of the game.
As the 3rd carried on, it was apparent the Huron Bruce squad was getting frustrated with our relentless forchecking and back checks. Things were getting rough and even our friendly giant Leithan was mixing it up deep in their zone. In a scary play, Kaden C was hit hard from behind from behind into the boards. That lead to a minor and a game misconduct to Huron Bruce. Thankfully Kaden was okay after being checked over on the bench. Its moments like that where coaches fear the worse.
Not long after Kaden seeked out some revenge and tripped up one of their players, and hat a sit down in the sin bin himself.
As the game wore on opportunities were plenty as the Huron squad tried to break the shut out. But Owen W would have none of it.
A great team effort all around. The score sheet was full on every goal and the coaches were proud of a great team effort. No helmet was awarded today as everyone in the room deserved it.
Keep it up lads. We can do it!