(by team reporter Albert Ross)
The weather may not have co-operated but everything else was working well for the Canadian Legion Major Peewee A Huskies on October 30. The team was in Brampton to face off against the 45s in what became a very spirited contest that saw the Dogs fending off early opposition onslaughts.
The Huskies were hard pressed in their own end for much of the first frame with net-minder Jackson Holmes being called on to keep the worst assaults from registering. The 45s continued to press in the second and tallied on a drive to open the scoring. The Dogs fought back, led by team captain Josh Beach as he stepped up the physical aspect of the game. The chances followed, first by Greg Yeoman, then Beach, then Josh Blier and finally by Sam Miller and Evan Dension. It was clear the 45s had some solid goal tending, coupled with respectable offense that managed another point on a late power-play effort.
Down by two, the Dogs gritted their teeth and shifted into high gear. Once again, it was hard fore-checking in the corners by Yeoman and Denison that made the difference. Their winning efforts hit pay dirt when Beach scooped the pass and stuffed it around the post to get on the score sheet. The example was soon followed by Joel Domm, who broke into the clear, raced up ice, and nearly notched one as the buzzer sounded. The Huskies were firing on all cylinders going into the third and it was soon apparent that the momentum had shifted in their favour. The equalizer came from another corner battle that was being won by the trio of Miller, Beach and Denison. The last mentioned player walked it out front and punched it into the top shelf to tie the game. The Huskies never looked back. The repeated assaults hit the jackpot again on a textbook breakout. Evan Bender scooped a feed from Dension who in turn hit Beach as he raced up the middle, split the defense and planted a shot over the goalies shoulder. The Dogs continued their relentless attacks with Tim Wenn nearly securing the insurance marker but as fate would have it, it wasn’t needed. The score was still 3 – 2 in favour of the Pack at the end of regulation in what was a tremendous come-from-behind effort. Credit must go to Bender for leading the defensive charge, keeping the 45s from getting their game going. In that light, he rightly gets the TLC Pet Food player of the game. Well done Huskies!