submitted by team reporter Albert Ross
Your PeeWee AE Huskies have moved on to Round 4 of the OMHA playoffs (against Erin) with a heart-stopping 3-0 series win over Paris. All three games were one goal contests, with games 1 and 3 being settled in overtime. For the story on all 3 games read on....
The Re/Max Twin City Peewee AE Huskies did battle in Paris with the Wolf Pack on Friday February 3 in what became a contest of wills. The Huskies, having ousted Caledonia, advanced to the third OMHA play-down round to face a very tough opponent but were fully prepared for the challenge. The Dogs came out flying and took the fight into the offensive zone. Kolton Wagler and Evan Denison were first to test the Paris goalie but were unable to find the back of the net. The pressure was increased when Nathan Gerber backed by Jackson Normandeau added their version of offensive prowess. In spite of the outstanding efforts, the Dogs were frustrated by the solid Paris net-minding. They continued the siege in the second frame, literally peppering the opposition goal with everything they had but could not defeat the Paris goalie who was a titan in net. The Wolf Pack, buoyed up by their solid back-stopping, got their first real scoring chance as the period bled away. Tyler Kumpf, who was not very busy up to that point, came to life to stone the first credible Paris scoring chance, keeping the match scoreless after two. The Dogs continued the assault in the third but the Paris resolve was stiffening. An elbowing call against the Wolf Pack saw Tim Geiger come close to opening the scoring on the power-play, but was foiled by the opposition goalie once again. In a twist of fate, it was Paris that cracked the scoring drought first on an upstairs shot at the half. Their celebrating was short-lived as the Huskies roared back on another power-play. Cycling the puck in deep, Dawson Hussey and Jackson Gerber found Evan Denison free in front who made no mistake on the feed delivering the bar-down marker. The contest remained deadlocked for the remaining minutes forcing an overtime period. Both teams were beginning to feel the effects of 3 periods of hard non-stop play but it was Paris that had more jump in the opening minute of over-time action. A turnover saw a Paris attacker racing for the net all alone. Kumpf was up for the challenge and secured the game-saving play allowing his team to turn it around. The winner came at the 6-minute mark. Jackson Gerber teed one up at the point and Ethan Field tipped it in to take the 2 – 1 victory and establish a series lead. The Huskies hope to widen that lead as they host the Wolf Pack on Tuesday February 7 in what promises to be a grudge match.
The Re/Max Twin City Peewee AE Huskies hosted the Paris Wolf Pack on February 7 for game 2 of their OMHA play-down series. The Dogs were looking to widen the series lead after taking game one in overtime the previous week. They knew it wouldn’t be easy and Paris lived up to the expectation. Early pressure by the Huskies set the tone but Paris pushed back forcing net-minder Jackson Holmes to be on his guard. The sea-saw battles raged for most of the period until a seeming break came for the Dogs. Paris took a hooking call but went on a short-handed attack that would have succeeded were it not for Holmes’ quick reflexes. The Huskies immediately rebounded. Dawson Hussey got the puck deep and fed it to Tim Geiger at the blue line. Geiger unleashed a deck shot that beat the screened goalie through the 5-hole with only seconds remaining in the frame. The opposition answered early in the second on a redirected puck to re-tie the contest. The mid-ice warfare that followed almost favoured the Dogs as Alex Smirnow and Jackson Normandeau came close on a determined rush. They’d get their goal early in the third in a scrum. Normandeau pulled the trigger getting help from Smirnow and Trent Smith to re-establish the New Hamburg lead. The Wolf Pack immediately responded on a breakaway that re-asserted the deadlock. Owen Ross nearly broke that same deadlock minutes later on a dash to the net but it would be Evan Denison’s night. Getting help from Bailey Zehr and Kolton Wagler, he raced up ice to score with two minutes remaining. The Pack hung on for the 3 – 2 win and found themselves in Paris Thursday night with every intention of concluding the series.
As before, the Paris goalie was a tough obstacle to overcome. Early Husky pressure by Ethan Field, Emmet Latyn and Hussey failed to crack his resolve. A controversial call on Field saw the Dogs penalty-killing for 5 minutes against a desperate Paris club determined to stave off elimination. The second frame saw more Paris attacks that Tyler Kumpf expertly turned aside allowing the Nathan Gerber, Normandeau tag-team a chance of their own. Scoreless after two, both teams continued the struggle in the third. The Husky defense was instrumental in keeping Paris from getting to Kumpf. Joel Domm and Jackson Gerber were doing all the right things on the back end to keep the Huskies in control. In spite of this, there was no way to avoid an overtime frame to decide the outcome. Paris came out strong and Kumpf was put to the test making two key saves. The second one was the most dangerous and was the game-saver as he stoned a Paris breakaway at the 7 minute mark. Then the Huskies caught a huge break. Paris took a slashing penalty followed by a roughing minor that gave the Pack a 5 on 3 advantage. It was enough. The power play line went to work and Nathan Gerber potted the winner getting help from line-mates Normandeau and Smirnow. It was a stunning 1 – 0 win and conclusion to the toughest series the Huskies have yet played in OMHA play-down action. The victory will propel the New Hamburg club on to the quarter-finals where they will face the Erin-Hillsburgh Devils on Sunday February 12.