Nov 06, 2022 | Scott Price | 134 views
IceDogs Earn a Point vs Mitchell
Your U15 Rep IceDogs were hungry to hit the ice this Sunday evening and glad to ice almost a full lineup. It was a good pre-game talk and the IceDogs came out flying in this one.
With the mantra being "relentless pressure", the IceDogs were full value for it and put the Meteors back on their heels. A few quick chances were turned away by the Mitchell goalie but Brayden P. beat his d-man to the puck and hammered home his own rebound to give his team the lead. A few more close calls (and a few posts) came in the waining minutes of the period but the IceDogs had to settle for a 1-0 lead.
The second period was more of the same. The IceDogs relentlessly checked the Meteors into submission and wouldn't give them an inch. Owen M-8 would win a puck battle along the wall and feed Chris P. out front for a beauty top shelf goal and it was 2-0 IceDogs. Not much later, Anderson G. would spring Brayden P. on the breakout, who then slipped a pass to Riley J. who danced around the Meteor defenders and scored for a 3-0 lead. A little Alphonze and Gaston routine (do you got it, do I got it?) led to a Mitchell goal but Owen M-8 would once again win a battle behind the net, feeding Simon J. for a goal and the IceDogs had a well-deserved 4-1 lead at the flood. Buuuuuut, you could kind of sense the IceDogs letting off the throttle a bit and cheating the play -- and maybe letting Mitchell back in the game.
The intermission message was clear--keep up the pressure, get the puck and manage the puck. But a quick Mitchell goal (on an ahem high stick that was missed) gave the Meteors some hope and some life. Still, the IceDogs had their chances and Riley and Alek were turned away on some solid Meteor goaltending. Another unfortunate bounce went Mitchell's way and it was 4-3 with time ticking down. A couple of ahem, missed penalty calls didn't go the IceDogs way either and they were just hanging on with 55 seconds to go. A flipping (no pun intended) puck found a hole and Mitchell was away on a 2 on 1 which just eluded Owen W. and it was all tied at 4's and that's how she ended.
The good news-the IceDogs played nearly flawless hockey for 2/3 of the game. The bad news-hockey is 3 periods long and the IceDogs probably got what they deserved...a tie and a point. But, not one player in that IceDog dressing room was happy with the tie...you could have heard a pin drop at the end of the game...and that's more good news because that means the IceDogs learned a lesson and will be ready to play 3 periods next time out.