Nov 26, 2012 | Matt Domm | 909 views
Guelph Powerplay Tournament Champions
It's 6:00 a.m. on Wednesday, November 21st. The Tim Hortons drive thru is still relatively quiet and the Wilmot Recreation Centre parking lot is dark. Inside, the Optimist ice surface is already being carved-up by the'Novice A' boys who are giggling their way through an impromptu game of shinny. They're on the ice a half hour ahead of their weekly 6:30 a.m.practice - voluntarily. It's just further evidence that this group of kids is having fun together ... and their fun is translating into on-ice success.
This past weekend the New Hamburg 'Novice A' Huskies continued their successful ways at the 41st Annual Guelph Powerplay Tournament. They started on Friday by securing wins against Richmond Hill and their division rivals from Woolwich. In both games, the Huskies' strength came from their balanced forward lines and tenacious defence. Goalie Jacob Durrer was particularly outstanding against Woolwich, holding back the Wildcat attack until the Huskies could build a lead before ultimately winning 3-1.With a 2-0 record, the boys headed into their Saturday match-ups. In the morning, they faced the Nepean Raiders. The Raiders quickly jumped out toa 2-0 lead, but the Huskies battled back. While they dominated the play,the Huskies found themselves trailing 2-1 late in the third period. Although they buzzed the Nepean net for the final two minutes, New Hamburg could not beat the Raider goaltender who impressively stole the game. So, the Huskies needed a win in their final of four round robin contests in order to secure a spot in Sunday's action. They were matched-up against Dorchester who also needed a victory to advance. When the Dragons scored first early in the opening frame, the Huskies' parents were on edge. But, apparently the Huskies were not. The New Hamburg boys potted two goals on the very next shift and did not look back as they rolled to a 7-2 win and a place in Sunday morning's semi-final.
On Sunday the boys faced Woolwich once again. The Wildcats have a history of playing the Huskies tough - and this was no exception. Woolwich's team defence stifled the Huskies for two periods. When the Huskies did generate scoring chances, the Wildcat goaltender was solid. Trailing 1-0, the Huskies needed a big third period. They delivered. New Hamburg scored twice in the first 3:46 of the final frame and kept the puck deep in Woolwich's end for the majority of the period. They tallied two more goals for a 4-1 win and a berth in the championship game against hosts and league rivals from Guelph. As fate would have it, the final was to be played on the same ice surface where the Huskies dropped a 4-3 decision to Guelph back on October 15 - one of their few losses to date. Consider that demon exorcised. For the fullthirty-five minutes of play, all three forward lines back-checked relentlessly, the defenders were unnerved, and, in the few instances where he was called upon, goaltender Jacob Durrer was perfect. It was truly oneof the most dominant Husky performances to date and it gave the New Hamburg 'Novice A' Huskies their second consecutive tournament title! Moments after the final buzzer sounded, the ice surface was littered withthe Huskies' gloves and sticks; and the scoreboard - perched directly above the pile of elated seven and eight year old boys - read "Visitors 3 Home 0".
Bravo Zulu boys! See you bright and early on Wednesday morning.