Huskies Compete In Strathroy, News, Bantam AE, U15, 2013-2014 (New Hamburg Hockey Association)

This Team is part of the 2013-2014 season, which is not set as the current season.
News Article
News Article Image
Nov 24, 2013 | Albert Ross | 842 views
Huskies Compete In Strathroy
The EJ’s Bantam AEs were on the road to Strathroy on November 22 to take part in some tournament action. Having secured a third 3 – 2 victory at home against the Dundas Blues the previous night, they were feeling confident as they set foot on the ice to face the Ayr Flames. 

The opposition proved to be tough and the Dogs were down by a goal after one and suffered two more against in the second before the response came. Ethan Field succeeded on a drive to the net with Nick Dumais getting the helper but it would be tough slogging in the third. The Flames tallied a fourth point forcing the Huskies to accept the 4 – 1 loss and the knowledge that they would need to improve when they faced the Owen Sound Attack that afternoon. Penalties, were again the problem for the Dogs as the Attack capitalized on a 5 on 3 advantage to take a 1 – 0 lead going into the second. The Pack rebounded and tied the contest early in the second when Josh Potts found the back of the net on a deflection with Joel Domm and Ryan Pierson securing the assists. But it was penalties that undid all the good work. The Attack regained the lead on a too-many-men call and secured the insurance marker in the third on a Husky roughing call. It was a humbling 3 – 1 loss that the Huskies took to heart the following day when they squared off against a known opponent. Confidence returned to the Husky ranks when they faced off against the Dundas Blues Saturday morning in what became a route for their opponent. Sam Cull, backstopping the Dogs, was called upon early to stone a Blues breakaway and proved to be rock solid throughout the contest. With the back end working well, the Huskies took the play into the offensive zone with vigour. Getting a feed from Dumais, Alex Kyle opened the scoring on a bullet from the slot that went bar-down. Field added another on an end-to-end rush with Emmet Latyn gathering the assisting credit. It looked like the Blues would answer in the second when the Dogs were cited for a head-shot but it was opposite day for the Pack. A daring rush by Nic Egli caught the Blues goalie flat-footed and the Huskies registered their third point on an unassisted short-handed effort. More penalty killing and more outstanding goal tending was in store for the Pack as they closed the second period and went on the offensive in the third. Egli was the trigger-man again on a screened shot that Pierson queued up that propelled the pack to a 4-goal lead. The Blues finally answered on a wrap-around but the Huskies still smelled blood. Egli’s hat trick came on a feed from Dale Jurica that was followed by Dumais’s wrap-around getting help from Kyle. It was a stunning and authoritative 6 – 1 win that the Dogs desperately needed to stay in the hunt for hardware. In order to advance, they needed a win against their afternoon opponent, the Ilderton Jets who had the same win-loss record. It was trench warfare in the first frame with both teams skating well. Jaiden Deneka was looking good between the pipes making 5 key saves before the Pack struck. It was another end-to-end rush by Field that opened the scoring with Mason Wagner accruing the helper. The opposition was resilient and retied the contest with seconds remaining and added another early in the second to put the Huskies on the defensive. The Ilderton goalie proved tough in spite of some nice scoring chances and frustration was creeping into the Husky ranks. A third Jets goal at the end of the frame was answered by the Dogs early in the third. Playing the puck, Deneka found Latyn who hit Farrish as he bolted for the opponent’s net. It was a spectacular goal but the celebration was short-lived. The Jets answered on a turnover to regain the 2-goal advantage. A tip-in on a face-off draw widened the lead minutes later and the hole proved to be too tough for the Dogs to climb out of. Although they played well, they had to accept the 5 – 2 decision and elimination from further tournament play.