Nov 22, 2015 | Albert Ross | 292 views
A Win And A Loss For The Midget LL2s
The New Hamburg Huskies Midget LL2s played
back-to-back games against the two teams from Woolwich on November 20 and 21.
The Dogs were in Elmira on the first date to face off against the Wildcats LL1
and got things rolling in their favour pretty quickly.
Owen Ross got things moving out of the defensive zone and Matt Sommerville carried the puck in deep. A quick pass to Daniel O’Connell positioned in the slot was the winning formula on the first goal of the game. The hosts fought back and Colton Holba had to be sharp in net when a defensive zone breakdown gave the Wildcats an opportunity. It was still a one-goal game until late in the frame when the Pack found the net again. Josh Potts gets the assist on Connor Ross’s wrap-around shot off the goalie equipment that upped the Huskie total. Things got off to a seemingly bad start in the second when an interference call saw the Dogs short-handed but Matt Sommerville had a surprise up his sleeve. Accepting a pass from Mike Thrush, he bolted by the Wildcat net and beat the goalie to make it a 3-goal game. The Wildcats ramped up their offense when a hooking call put them at a 2-man advantage. Holba stopped repeated attacks including a breakaway attempt while the Husky defenders struggled in their own end. Multiple penalties dampened the Husky play and the trend carried into the third. Once full strength returned, Connor Ross was again leading the offensive charge that Tyler Kumpf, Sommerville, Dale Jurica and Brandon Wagler all emulated. Unable to find the net, and with more penalties levied, the Pack rode out the remainder of the frame penalty killing with Holba securing the 3 – 0 shutout win at the buzzer. Although victorious, the Dogs knew that the next night would see them facing a tougher opponent in the Wildcats LL2 on home ice. It was a war of wills through two frames of scoreless play. Connor Ross was again leading the offensive charge coming close on 3 separate charges to the net. Rhett Miller and Sommerville added their own chances to the total but it was clear that the visitor’s goalie was one tough customer. Holba was again holding his own stopping 6 credible chances before making a huge seventh save early in the third. A holding call on the Wildcats almost resulted in a power-play Husky goal from O’Connell but again, the goalie didn’t crack. The opener came when 4 on 4 play ensued after an interference call against the pack. The visitors tallied on a 2 on 1 play and quickly followed up with another point on a defensive zone breakdown. Penalties were the Huskies undoing as they could get nothing going in the final minutes, playing short-handed until the buzzer. It was a 2 – 0 loss and a wake-up call that undisciplined play has consequences. They hope to improve when they meet the Beverly Bandits on November 22.