Your Oak Groove Cheese Atom LL2 Huskies rolled into Exeter this past weekend with a number of goals in mind. Since the boys love Instagram we decided to hashtag our goals. #fun, #pressure, #wineachperiod, #worktogether. The boys didn't let the prospect of delicious Dairy Queen soft serve infused with candy and chocolate distract them from their goals.
As for the #fun part, they definitely accomplished that goal as everyone had a great time playing mini-sticks and manhunt as well as swimming, hot tubs and sauna use. They even warmed up for a game in the on-site gym which I am sure the hotel appreciated however I am happy to report they were all perfect gentleman;) In fact we didn't get a chance to go tobogganing because of the lack of snow in Grand Bend of all places but the boys found plenty of things to do. As for the jerseys, after hours of treatment and scrubbing by Scott I'm sure ;) the Wildfong's were able to get out cupcake stains from various hockey jerseys although are still unable to figure out how #11 had some on the back by the neck! Next up is cheesy eating lessons as Kohen P. bed was orange from various players practicing their Netflix and Chill skills.
Onto the hockey. The tournament used a point system for wins, shutouts and outscoring your opponent in each period. This was actually beneficial for your Huskies as we needed to focus on winning each period and out working our opponent. We started the tournament with a classic match up; cats vs. dogs. The Waterford Wildcats were more than determined as they played a fantastic game and although we came out a bit slow, we started to push the pace and ended with a 5-1 win. The boys were relieved I think to get the first game out of the way and started to feel a bit more relaxed.
After refreshing with some food, Gatorade, bananas and orange slices, next up was the Comets from West Lorne. Emphasizing getting pucks in deep and playing out of the corners as well as limiting the amount of turnovers at and in between the blue lines we skated to a 7-2 win. They definitely started to #pressure the Comets and created a lot of turnovers which they realized was a lot of #fun. It was difficult to single out any one player because we started to #worktogether with contributions from everyone.
Next up on Saturday was the Lefroy Icebreakers with the Huskies again starting to play with even more #pressure and #fun as they dominated the play. Coach Mark has been emphasizing play from the corners to spread out the defence and is adamant that you cannot score from behind the icing line but for the second time this year Kohen P. is trying to make his coach look bad ;) Your Huskies again demonstrated #worktogether as Stuart L. was missing battling the flu and had to leave the tourney. We definitely missed him and his wicked clapper! With the round robin coming to an end your Huskies complied 30 out of a possible 33 points. With 24 hours to kill before the semis we spent a good portion of those hours in a restaurant along with the rest of the tournament waiting for drinks and food. Kudos to the staff for having to deal with a packed restaurant and to the boys for being respectful and awesome.
The semi finals saw another cats vs. dogs match up with the Cougars from Mt. Brydges. We were also excited to have Stuart L. back from the flu! Not an easy thing to do when you are dehydrated. Excellent dedication Stuuuuu!
This was a very intense game as the teams traded chances and goals. Your Huskies haven't trailed in a game a lot this year but showed patience and resolve as they played from behind and took the lead in the third. Even when the Cougars tied it up we kept fighting until the end. With only a few minutes to go, Sam W. fired a puck off a stick which completed his hat trick and put us in the lead. It was even more special as Sam W. was playing in his Mom's hometown in which he dedicated each game and goal to his late Grandfather and even had a special celebration to honour him. Great job Sam. Not facing a lot of shots in the first few games, Hayden J. made some incredible saves to keep us in it, even taking one in the face! Reilly C. came in relief and made some awesome saves as well including one that was a sure goal until he kicked out the pad to make a save. With 10 seconds left, a face off in our zone and the goalie pulled, a defensive strategy was drawn up and your Huskies executed it perfectly. However one fortuitous bounce later the puck was headed toward the net but Reilly C. covered the puck with his glove. The ref later told us the puck was half on the goal line and half in the net, a real game saver.
After loading up on wings and lots of potato based foods at a local pub the coaches were a bit concerned that the boys would fall into a food coma, however there wasn't much to say as the boys seemed to be ready to go for the finals against a strong Shelberne Wolves team. After going over a few talking points the boys really were the ones to get pumped for the game, they wanted it and you could tell. They all wanted to wear one home and one away sock and they even coordinated which leg they would go on! Not bad for a bunch of 9 and 10 year old boys! Typically we would finish warm up and shake hands but the boys gathered around the net, said some things to each other and were ready to go. The game was again an intense affair as both teams played a great first period with Hayden J. making a some great saves. The Huskies got on the board first as #pressure was the key as unfortunately the Wolves scored on their own net. After trading chances and goals, your Huskies ramped up the intensity and put the game away with a convincing 5-2 win.
Reilly C. again played great in relief with the defence playing outstanding hockey. Zack B., Tanner A., Jayden B., Jayden C., and Evan H. should all be proud of their work. We cannot say enough of the play of Ethan G. and Spencer F. as they were often the first in on the fore check as well as back check. Ryan W. playing forward this tournament for the first time all year played great with a goal and even throwing in a few toe drags as well. Easton M. was a man on a mission constantly putting pressure on the other team while Stuart. L. played some great hockey especially playing after probably feeling like his insides were like a raisin! Zack K. showed the intensity and toughness we needed which inspired his teammates. Kohen P. was excellent in clogging up the middle, contributing on the score sheet as well having the difficult assignment of shadowing Shelberns best player. Sam W. made his Grandfather proud with a great tournament even going to bed at 9pm on Saturday night so he was rested for the next game. 9pm! A workhorse all weekend Josh. B played outstanding and was a leader both on and off the ice and just skated constantly! Special thanks to all the parents and coaches for dedicating their time and patience with this team.
Now onto playoffs!
#worktogether