John Bear Bantam AE Huskies
compete in International
Silver Stick Jan 5-8 2012
John Bear Bantam AE Huskies
compete in International Silver Stick Jan 5-8 2012
The John Bear Bantam AE Huskies brought their game to the 13th Annual International Silver Stick tournament in the Niagara Region on January 5 – 8 in their bid for another banner. The Huskies were one of 16 teams competing for the big prize and were prepared to take on all comers. The puck dropped Thursday morning with the Dogs facing the Tawas Blackhawks. The action quickly heated up and with only minutes elapsed, the Pack had their first goal. Alex Normandeau made the most of a turnover and fed the puck to Filip Telescu who rushed in and planted it upstairs. The Blackhawks responded in kind but the Huskies were resilient. Nolan Forster added his own marker on a tip-in feed from Brady Finn and Telescu. The opposition rebounded on a screened deck shot with seconds remaining in the frame. They would take the lead half way through the second on a blue-line bullet before the Dogs regained their footing in the third. Matt Schmidt won the opening draw and fed the puck to Braden Ewing who rushed in to beat the goalie. The ensuing hard work along the boards paid handsome dividends when Connor Ross added the go-ahead marker getting help from Austin Dale and Robbie Mason. Tanner Green’s astounding glove save late in the frame secured the 4 – 3 win and was the confidence boost the Huskies needed as they faced the Chicago Cyclones in the afternoon. It was a rough and fast match with neither side finding the mark through the first period of play. The Cyclones were first to tally late in the second as the Huskies struggled in their own end. It wouldn’t get easier as the Dogs were penalty killing early in the third. Husky net-minder, Matt Santos, denied the Blackhawks best efforts and allowed his team to return to the offensive. A solid chance to re-tie the match came at the half when the Blackhawks were cited for a serious infraction. Coach Chris Lacroix selected Schmidt to take the penalty shot that very nearly tallied. With time bleeding away, the break came when Finn won a puck battle and fed it to Jayden Marion at the point. His rifle shot was tipped in by Nolan Forster to re-establish the tie on the power-play. It looked like the game would remain that way but with only seconds remaining, Finn won a face-off draw, getting the puck to Forster who in turn hit Telescu. His breakaway dash was successful and delivered the 2 – 1 win for his team. The final round robin game saw the Huskies facing the Caledonia Thunder Friday Morning in a very rough and penalty riddled contest. The Huskies were first on the score sheet as a Telescu made the most of a turnover. His rush up the middle and sniper-shot set the tone with only seconds elapsed. Green was back in net and kept the opposition at bay for the first period. They scored early in the second but with both teams parading to the penalty box, the flow of the game turned into trench warfare along the boards. Normandeau, Marcus Roth, Josh Jewitt, Robbie Mason and Mike Glauser were instrumental in penalty killing while the grinders, Connor Popham, Taylor Von Hausen, Schmidt, Ewing and Ross did sterling service in keeping the puck deep in enemy territory. The Dogs returned to the power-play in the third as the Thunder went to the box on a head-shot call. Mason fired one on the deck from the blue line to score on the screened goalie. Finn and Schmidt collect the assists on the nice team play. The insurance marker came minutes later on a scrum that saw Jewitt pot one from Telescu who had just exited the penalty box. Caledonia’s last gasp came at the 2-minute mark and the Huskies took the 3 – 2 win cementing their first place standing in their pool. With the round robin portion done, the Dogs would face the number two team in pool A, the West Chester Vipers. The puck dropped Saturday morning in what was clearly the toughest match the Huskies had yet played. The Dogs were first away when Jewitt put one through the 5-hole from the blue line but the Vipers responded on a wildly bouncing puck that got by Santos. The second frame saw neither team move the needle in spite of the fast and furious play. The Vipers were called for tripping early in the third allowing giving the opportunity window to Marion. He made the most of a feed from Telescu and rushed in to score on the power-play. The Vipers fought back as the frame turned into a see-saw battle. Their tying goal was quickly undone by Finn, on a brilliant drive to the net with Marion getting the assisting credits. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the Vipers immediately responded with two more goals. As the clock wound down, coach Chris LaCroix pulled Santos to secure a man advantage in a last-ditch effort. The gambit didn’t succeed and the Vipers potted an empty-netter with seconds remaining. The 5 – 3 loss meant that the Huskies were eliminated from further tournament action but they can rightfully be proud of their performance and their 3 – 1 win/loss record against some very good teams.