Mar 27, 2013 | Albert Ross | 1654 views
VICTORY! Bantam LL3 Win Grand Valley League A-Pool Championship
It
was a long road from September until March but The Delivery Guys Husky Bantam
LL3 were determined to cross the finish line in the top slot. Having secured
first place in round-robin play-down action, the Huskies played host to the
second place Paris Wolf Pack LL2 on March 21. It was the first game of their
best of three series to determine the Grand Valley League Championship and the
Dogs were primed for the fight.
The opposition came out hard, keeping the Huskies bottled up in their own end for much of the first frame. Net-minder Liam Saunders had his hands full but he held his ground, keeping the game scoreless heading into the second. The Dogs struck back early on a quick breakout by Tyler Szanto. He fed the puck to Kale Meyer who raced in on a breakaway to backhand it through the 5-hole. Paris answered minutes later to retie the contest but the tug of war continued with the physical aspect ratcheting up a notch. A breakdown in the defensive zone saw Paris take the lead on a screened point shot but the Huskies were not backing down. Connor Ross, seeing an opening, raced end-to-end through traffic to pot the equalizer followed moments later by an unassisted rocket from Cam Gingerich in the slot to take the lead. The parade to penalty box defined the third frame as both sides struggled for control. With a Husky in the box, things looked good for Paris but a solid breakout by Colton Hussey and hard fore-checking by Trevor Brubacher set the stage for Kolton Wagler to secure a shorthanded goal. The desperation on the Paris bench was fully felt by the Dogs as they staved off repeated Paris thrusts. Another minor against the Pack saw Paris pull their goalie to get a 6 on 4 advantage. It succeeded but with just seconds remaining, it was not enough to stop the Huskies from taking the 4 – 3 win. Meyer scooped the player-of-the-game award for his tremendous offensive leadership that the Dogs would need when they faced the same veteran Wolf Pack team in Paris on Monday March 25. A win was all the Huskies needed to cinch the championship title and they fully expected Paris to play with ferocity. They did not disappoint and once again, Saunders was put to the test, coming up roses in the process. Déjà vu was working for the Pack as Meyer responded, bagging the first goal from the slot on a feed from Wagler. The example was followed by Ross, Hussey and Jake Snider who all got quality shots in before Paris responded. Their late goal re-established the stalemate but the second frame would prove that this game was still up for grabs. A too-many-men call against the Pack looked like a Paris advantage but the penalty killers, Colin Shannon, Hussey, Szanto and Ross, stymied their best attempts. The second Paris goal came at even strength on a tip-in and once again the Huskies answered. When they went to the power-play, Gingerich got the equalizer on a backhanded wrap-around with Brubacher assisting. Paris tried to respond but the defense was solidifying as exemplified by Shannon’s bone-crunching hip checks. It was war in the third as both teams tried to find that winning goal. Ross found it first. Catching the Paris defense flat-footed, he raced end-to-end, beating the goalie to take the lead. Fore-checking hard, Justin Arnott, Mike Thrush and Matt Elliot, left little chance for Paris success. The desperate Paris coach pulled his goalie with a minute remaining in a last ditch gambit but a turnover at the blue-line saw Snider rifle the puck down ice into the empty net. It was enough. The Huskies took the 4 – 2 game win, the series win, and the Grand Valley League Championship title. It was a tremendous effort and a fitting end that saw this team take 1st place in regular season with an overall record of 27 wins, 7 losses and 2 ties. None of this would have been possible without the coaching leadership of Duane Gingerch, Greg Meyer, Dan Elliot, Rob Shannon, Chad Hussey and Al Ross. The Huskies would like to thank their sponsors, The Delivery Guys and all who supported them in this fantastic season.