(by team reporter Albert Ross)
Having found success on the
road, the EJ’s Bantam Husky AEs were looking to do the same on
home ice when they hosted the Halton Hills Thunder on November 24. The Dogs
came out hard and fast against their opponent and had registered the first goal
with little more than a minute of play elapsed. The cycling plays down low
allowed Jackson Gerber to find the sweet spot from the slot on his own pad
rebound.
Matt Sommerville and Emmet Laytn collected the assists on the effort but the Dogs were put on notice that more goals would be needed. The Thunder bounced back and made the most of a scrum in front of the Husky net to tie the contest. The celebration was short-lived as the Pack returned to the offensive and racked up three unanswered goals before the period closed. Nic Egli was first, pounding in the second Husky point on a pass from Mason Wagner with Dale Jurica helping out. Next in the queue was Laytn drilling home a screened shot from the point on a back-pass from Danny O’Connell. Rounding out the Husky total for the period was Jacob Ertel making the most of cycling plays with line mates Tyson Wagler and Josh Potts.
The Thunder, having endured the misfortunes of the first frame, settled down in the second and went to the power-play early when the Pack was cited for cross-checking. Net minder Zack Robinson came up roses with both pad and glove before the Husky defense responded and drove the Thunder into the neutral zone. The opposing sides were trading penalties but the visitors came out the worse for wear, having been unable to close the scoring gap. The Huskies, having a deeper bench, continued the aggressive play in the third and wore down their guests on the power-play. Egli took out the goalie’s water bottle on a beautiful centering pass from Gerber that set the tone for the period. Next, it was O’Connell finding the net from the slot on a pass from Danny Farrish who was working hard behind the visitor’s net. The finisher came when Egli registered a back-handed hat trick getting help from Jurica and Gerber. It was a lopsided 7 – 1 win that would have been more even were it not for the discipline of the Husky defensemen Owen Ross, Alex Kyle, Jurica and Latyn. Time and again the breakouts and physical play frustrated the Thunder and will undoubtedly do the same to other opponents as the Dogs dig deep into regular season.