Mar 04, 2012 | jgerber | 1153 views
OMHA Semis all Tied Up
submitted by team reporter Albert Ross
The Re/Max Twin City Peewee AE Huskies are locked in a war of wills with the Dragons. The Dogs were in Dorchester on Tuesday February 28 for game 2 of their OMHA semi-final play-down series and it was clear from the start that the opposition was taking no prisoners.
A mishandled puck in front of their own net, resulted in a goal for Dorchester at the hands of a Husky defenseman. To their credit, the Pack shook it off and re-tied the contest 20 seconds later on the strength of a passing play. Evan Denison’s feed to Trent Smith was perfect and the resulting shot defeated the Dorchester net-minder. It was the last best effort for the Dogs as Dorchester resumed their offensive drives. Goalie Jackson Holmes who was the best Husky on the ice that game, was repeatedly tested throughout the second period but kept the door shut. The Dragon onslaught continued in the third with the Dogs continually on their heels. They registered 2 more goals in the third, forcing the Huskies to accept a 3 – 1 loss. The Huskies will need to dig deeper, bring more energy and team play if they wanted to advance their OMHA dreams.
They got the chance to test that resolve on Friday as they hosted the Dragons for game 3. As expected, the Dragons came out hard and had registered two goals, the second on a short-handed effort, before the first frame had ended. The game tempo quickened in the second with both sides taking penalties. The break for the Dogs came when the Dragons took a deliberate head-shot call that was capitalized on. With the puck in deep, Nathan Gerber found Alex Smirnow open in front. It was a timely power-play goal that renewed the confidence in the home-town team. It speaks volumes that that confidence was not shaken even after the Dragons replied minutes later. Down by two goals, the Huskies rallied around net-minder Tyler Kumpf and redoubled their efforts. Tim Geiger led the efforts by throwing the big hits that shook the Dragon forwards off their game. The Dogs caught another break that saw Denison charge the opposing net and plant one upstairs on the screened goalie. He’d follow Geiger’s example moments later, landing a beautiful mid-ice check on a hard-skating Dragon winger. It was all Husky after that. Another passing play from Dawson Hussey to point man, Owen Ross was made good when he in turn unleashed a rocket into the rigging. It was anybody’s game as the period wound down but it was clear the Huskies had regained their mojo. The tied score sheet at the end of the frame forced an overtime period that saw both sides putting it all on the line. The Dragons killed a penalty that was levied in the previous frame and came on strong but the Husky defense was giving no quarter. Joel Domm, Bailey Zehr, Jackson Gerber and Dale Jurica were holding their ground and moving the puck out but it was up to Kumpf to secure the game saver with less than two minutes of play remaining. A last Husky push almost succeeded but when the buzzer went, the match was still deadlocked at 3 – 3. It was an astonishing comeback for the Huskies and a testament to their resolve. The series is now split at 3 points each and the rejuvenated Huskies hope to pull ahead in Dorchester on March 6.