Feb 15, 2013 | jgerber | 1030 views
Huskies Start League Playoffs
(by team reporter Albert Ross)
After suffering back-to-back losses to Oakville that ended their OMHA run, the Canadian Legion Major Peewee A Huskies were looking for a little redemption in Milton on Valentines Day as they began Tri-County league play-downs. They got off to a good start, pocketing a goal in the first minute of play to set the tone.
Greg Yeoman won a draw and fed it to Evan Bender who’s deflected shot flipped high and into the net. The celebration was cut short as the Winterhawks rebounded and put the Dogs on their heels. Net minder Jackson Holmes came up big on two dangerous breakaways to keep his team in front as the first frame wound down. He stoned a third breakaway early in the second before his team regained their mojo. The physical aspect was ratcheted up a notch as Husky defensemen got their checking game going. Owen Ross, Lucas Bast, and Wyatt Rempel exacted a toll on Milton attackers as they tried to force the zone. The retaliation came from the Huskies when Sam Miller and Jackson Gerber won a battle behind the opposition net, feeding it out front to Josh Beach who made no mistake. More end-to-end action ensued with Holmes once again playing spoiler to Milton rushes. The opposition goalie was not so lucky. Tim Gieger won a puck war down low and fed Bender in the slot who doubled his tally on the night. Up by 3, the Dogs continued to frustrate the Winterhawks in the final period. Beach, forcing the forward zone, picked the pocket of a Milton defender and blasted it by their goalie to match Bender’s tally. To the Winterhawk’s credit, they never gave up and kept the Huskies bottled up in their own end, once again testing Holmes. A tripping call against the Pack was the opportunity they needed to get on the score sheet but it was too little, too late. The Huskies collected the 4 – 1 win while Holmes nabbed the TLC Pet Food Player of the Game for his outstanding performance between the pipes. The Dogs hope to repeat the experience in Guelph as they face the Storm for game 2 on Saturday February 16.