Oct 03, 2016 | Mike Torchia | 960 views
Another Cool Move... Novice A Huskies deliver solid opening week (by Sean East)
Though it finished and began on a bit of a disappointing note, the Erb Transport Novice A Huskies completed a successful opening eight days of league play with a solid 2 win, 2 loss effort that showed that the future looks bright for this determined group of boys.
The league opener saw the Huskies head to Guelph where a noticeably nervous group of rep rookies were burned by the Gryphons 9-2. A difficult 3rd period widened a narrower deficit despite goaltender Andrew Torchia’s best efforts. Huskie goals were scored by Bradley Wilhelm and Dean Mohr.
However, the boys rebounded with solid efforts in their next 3 games, as they deep –sixed the Brampton 45’s 2-1 in Brampton, won their home debut by soaring over the Burlington Eagles 2-0 before a raucous New Hamburg crowd, and were then stalked and brought down by the Woolwich Wildcats 3-1 in Elmira.
In Brampton, Wilhelm and Mohr again provided just enough offence to back the stellar goaltending debut of Owen Gomes. The defence corps of Owen Sweich, Daniel East, Jaxon Hergott, Tyler Braiden, and Aiden Beaver were solid all game long. The highlights of the game were the leather-flashing glove work of Gomes along with some “heady” defensive work from Hergott as he blocked shots and filled up the shooting lane in support of his net-minder.
Building on the solid effort in Brampton, the boys doubled down on their winning ways with a 2-0 victory at home against Burlington. Andrew Torchia, following in his brother and father’s footsteps, was solid in picking up his first shutout of the season. Offense was provided by Rielly Braiden and Max Wildfong, but all the forwards contributed to a territorial advantage as the game progressed with strong games by Brody Dietrich, Hudson Waetcher, and Gavin Roy.
Finally, the boys hit a wall with their fourth game in eight days in a 3-1 loss to a strong Woolwich squad in Elmira. Rielly Braiden scored the lone goal for the Huskies, and Gomes made a number of key saves to keep the game within reach. The line of Braiden, Mohr, and Spencer Walsh had a strong game as a unit.
The Huskies resume their busy early season schedule with a home game against Ancaster, a road game against Halton Hills, and participation in the Best of Best tournament in Halton Hills on Thanksgiving weekend.