Dec 08, 2024 | Kevin Waddell | 555 views
U13A Icedogs Simmons Memorial Tournament Champs!
It was a snowy weekend in Grey-Bruce and your U13A Icedogs ventured to Kincardine to participate in the Simmons Memorial Hockey Tournament.
Saturday started off for the Icedogs in Tiverton at 2pm facing off against the Kincardine Kinuks #2 yet again.
It didn't take long for the Icedogs to start off where they left things the last time these two teams met.
Hunter G started off with a goal just a minute into the game and the Icedogs didn't look back.
By the time the 1st period was over, goals by Avelyn S. and Gabe S had the Icedogs with a commanding 3-0 lead heading into the 2nd. The next period was a battle of the tenders as both teams were thwarted by the goaltending dual lead by our very own Cole F.
The Icedogs would put things away by adding two more in the 3rd by Seth H and Cole W.
A strong effort and excellent back checking gave Cole F the earned shutout.
So.... while we are here.... why not play the other Kincardine team too???
Game two was vs the Kincardine Kinuks Team 1 back in their home barn at the Davidson Centre.
This game had a bit of a different feel to it. Maybe it was the sugary snacks... or the miles of ramps and passages for the Icedogs to burn away some energy, or the 8pm start time...whichever it was... the Icedogs came out a bit flat for their second tilt.
This battle was a tough tilt that saw the Icedogs and Kinuks battle through two periods that tested both goaltenders yet again. The game was back and forth and headed into the 3rd, scoreless. Cole W finally opened up the scoring about 5 minutes in and it only took Kincardine 3 minutes to come back and tie things up again. With only 4 minutes left on the clock, Jaxson T put the Icedogs ahead leaving them victorious and sitting in 1st place overall. 1st place gave them the bye into the semi finals at 1pm Sunday, back in Kincardine.... and you will never guess against who.... yep... the other Kinuks team who faught their way back in with a win over Walkerton.
With a good nights rest and some refueling, the Icedogs faced off against the Kinuks 2 team again. The winner would punch their ticket to the finals. It would take almost the entire first period for the Icedogs to find the twine with Cole W scoring with 12 seconds before the buzzer.
Kincardine would answer back just 3-1/2 minutes into the second to even things up. The rest of the period was a battle of inches and the 3rd would start off in a 1 all tie.
Cole W would strike again just 3 minutes into the 3rd giving the Icedogs a narrow 1 goal lead. Multiple penalties would thwart any attempt the Kinuks would have and Avelyn S sealed the deal with a minute and a half left.... and the Icedogs were on their way to finals.
Waiting in the wings were the Port Stanley Sailors. The cool part was seeing the two dressing rooms side by side and the players were allowed to get to know each other and hang out for a bit. A great crew from Port Stanley was welcoming and both teams chatted and hung out while they awaited their destiny.
At 4:30... the once chums in the hallways were now rivals on the ice. Who wanted it more... who was ready.... it was left to be settled on the ice. And with that... The Icedogs showed they were there to win. A hard working crew went to work with great break out passes and many puck battles were won all over the ice. Our D stood their ground in our own end. Goals came from Kesler W, Cole and Liam M (2) Port Stanley did get one back in the middle of the second. With penalties keeping the Icedogs short handed, they faught off many power play attemps and Port Stanley was relentless. The Icedogs persevered and Hunter G put things away with an empty netter of his own with just 50 seconds left in the game. The clock would slowly tick down as the Icedogs kept the Sailors out of our end. A commanding team effort crowned the Icedogs tournament champs with loud cheers from family and friends in the stands.
What a great weekend and congrats to the entire crew. A well earned tournament win. Enjoy those metals and we cannot wait to see that banner hanging in one of our barns.