Midget LL2 Claims League Championship, News, Midget LL2, U18, 2016-2017 (New Hamburg Hockey Association)

This Team is part of the 2016-2017 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Mar 28, 2017 | Dan O'Connell | 1328 views
Midget LL2 Claims League Championship
New Hamburg Huskies Midget LL2, sponsored by Electronic Design Group, have claimed back to back Grand River Local League Midget A Division championships! The LL2 Huskies took to the ice on March 21 in a bid to crown their pennant winning regular season with the A Division championship jewel.  Their opponent, New Hamburg Huskies Midget LL3, was equally hungry for this distinction.  The two teams had previously battled in the final round robin playoff game where LL3 cemented their place in the finals against LL2 with a well-earned 3-2 LL3 win.

When the Huskie brothers took to the ice on March 21 in the first game of the best of three final, both teams knew they had to put it all on the line.  With the taste of defeat in the round robin contest still fresh, LL2 started the game with a string of strong shifts and jumped to a 1-0 lead when Mason Wagner and Brennan Mirt set up Tim Wenn, who deftly used a defencemen as a screen and buried the puck past LL3's netminder from the high slot off the rush.  Not slowing down, it would quickly turn into a 2-0 lead midway through the first with Dale Jurica and Teegan Wagler moving the puck up the ice to Ben MacLaurin, who cashed in with a nifty top shelf snipe.  With LL2's foot still firmly on the gas, Wagner fed Matt Sommerville, who slid a textbook pass to MacLaurin, who once again found the back of the net, ending the first frame with a 3-0 LL2 lead.

 

In the second frame, LL2 continued their assault and 5 minutes into the second it was Jurica, with the helpers to Cam Lowry and MacLaurin, who broke open the game to 4-0. Jurica, who played most of the season on defence, demonstrated his versatility in the finals by taking a regular shift on a forward line.  The teams traded scoring chances for the remainder of the period with excellent goaltending by both teams.  LL2 was twice sent to the box, but the frame ended with LL2 holding the 4-0 lead.

 

In the third, the teams wound down the game with Jurica adding his second of the game, assisted by linemates MacLaurin and Sommerville.  The game ended on a quiet note with a convincing 5-0 win and Colton Holba earning the shutout.

 

On March 23, the teams took to the ice again for game 2, with LL2 knowing that LL3 would bring an even more determined approach in an effort to even the series.  It was clear from the beginning that this game would be a hard fought battle.  With both teams getting pucks deep and pressing hard, LL2 once again opened the scoring when Daniel O'Connell fed Cole Hutchinson down low.  Rangy Josh Potts, using his reach, picked up the rebound and showing great patience, lit the lamp at 6:57 of the first.  But that would be all the scoring for the first frame as the teams played excellent defensive hockey.  In the second period, both teams traded power-play opportunities, and LL3 pressed hard; however, LL3 could not crack the Holba safe.  Drawing confidence from Holba's inspired work, LL2 began the third with a new found energy, knowing that only one period of hockey was standing between them and the championship. 

 

Tim Wenn wasted no time getting it started, taking the puck from faceoff to mesh, unassisted, within 8 seconds of the puck drop.  Wenn's marker staked LL2 to a 2-0 lead and the LL3's needed to regroup.  Less than a minute later, the door opened when the LL3's went to the power play.  But LL2 doubled down and closed that door.  As the minutes wore down, the LL2's were watching the clock, getting pucks deep, and the likes of Robin Miller and Brennan Mirt were battling hard to preserve the 2-goal lead.  With over 3 minutes left in the game, LL3 pulled their goaltender and sent the 6th man on the attack in a desperate effort to close the gap.  LL3 battled gamely and exerted much pressure, but chance after chance was turned away by Holba and the LL2 defensive wall of Wagner, Wagler, Alex Kyle, Jacob Potts, and Cam Lowry.  With just under a minute left, Holba secured his spot on the game sheet when he fed Jurica, who potted the rink length empty netter and the insurance needed for the 3-0 win and league championship.  The third year Midget Huskies, Robin Miller, Cole Hutchinson and Tyler Kumpf were pleased to accept the trophy on behalf of the team.

 

Congratulations to both teams on making this an all-New Hamburg final and for showing great respect and sportsmanship in what proved an exciting wrap up of the season for both squads.