Mar 23, 2013 | James Herrle | 1682 views
Fantastic Finish
The Atom LL3 Huskies closed out their season with one last tournament. Although
they were still missing their friends Connor Needham and Paul Coffey, the rest
of the boys pulled together as a team to enjoy two days of hockey with some
clowning around mixed in!
They came into the first game excited and positive and it showed in their play. They battled hard throughout the game and gave themselves a chance to pull even with time running out in the third period but just couldn't get the puck into the back of the opponents net one last time. Working hard throughout the game, forwards Drew Weinacht, Ben Herrle and Jack Schmelzle constantly pressured the opposing puck carriers into mistakes that created opportunities for themselves and their line mates. Despite the loss, Jared Vandervelde was named Player of the Game, scoring a goal and helping his defensive partners Thomas Gallie and Matthew Donkers smother the other team in our end.
After the game, the team spent some time bonding over a couple rousing (and loud!) bowling matches. Unfortunately for the parents and coaches, the confined space and the constant chatter caused the decibel level to rise to levels that would put a jackhammer to shame!
Stopping for a quick bite to eat before a Friday evening game proved to provide an opportunity for some more competition as somehow a jalapeño eating dare was attempted before the parents were able to intervene. We were happy to have all participants back on the ice for the second game but it seemed like Jack and Nathan were perspiring a little more than normal!
There was still a game to be played so the boys laced them up once again and took to the ice against a team that had scored 9 goals in winning their first game! A tall task to be sure but the Huskies sure came ready to bare their teeth and battle. As he did in each game of the tournament, Nathan Ward opened the scoring for New Hamburg. This time early in the second period to draw even with the Aylmer Flames. After falling behind by a goal again, Colin Mcbride displayed his tenacity and perseverance by digging hard and netting yet another equalizer midway through the third period. The rest of the third solved nothing although both teams traded scoring chances. Thankfully goaltender Kai Janzen channeled his inner Superman and made several sparkling saves to preserve the tie, at times leaping from one side of the net to the other as if he were flying! The first overtime of 3 on 3 action still brought forth no winner and it all came down to a game of 1 on 1 between a Flames skater and Jared. Even though he had taken a vicious body check earlier in the game and missed a big chunk of the game, Jared still had something left in his tank. Both players fought admirably but the luck was with New Hamburg as our opponent caught an edge in our zone and went down hard giving Vandervelde a long breakaway and time to make multiple moves on the Aylmer goalie before finding the twine at the back of the net to send the Huskies bench into a frenzy! This was by far the best all around effort and most memorable game of the season. It was epic enough to deserve a name unto itself but choosing which moment to immortalize would be a tall task.
Janzen was very deservedly named the player of the game and we're sure Aylmer went to bed that night with visions of a red cape and a giant S in front of a hockey net!
The third game would prove to be the final game of the tournament and also of our season. Despite a couple questionable non goals the Huskies once again were in the thick of the fight right to the very end. Moving back to defence for the final game, Ethan Troupe constantly found open ice to make Bobby Orr style rushes from end to end and played perhaps his best game of the season even though he was in an unfamiliar role on the ice. Also having a strong game, Jonas Jarosz was constantly around the puck offensively and defensively helping the boys stay in the game. Unfortunately the result did not end up in our favour but Thomas Gmach was rewarded for his efforts not only in this game but over the entire weekend as he was named player of the game.
The final post game in the locker room proved to be a mixed emotion event. Although sad about losing and playing their final game together, the team was rewarded for their efforts throughout the year with certificates and awards in a locker room presentation.
Spirits were lifted and smiles returned to their faces as they all took in what they had accomplished this year. They brought hard work and dedication to practices and games and helped their teammates and their coaches have a tremendous amount of fun. All Atom LL3 players and parents deserve to feel proud and satisfied with their efforts on and off the ice this year.
The coaching staff would like to thank all the parents for your continued support all season long and for allowing us to work with such a great group of kids!