Apr 16, 2013 | krichardson | 1555 views
Alliance Championship Semi Finalists
Our boys made it the Alliance Provincial Championship in Stratford Apr 12-14, representing the West Alliance at the Novice Tier 3 category.
Our first game had us playing the Waterloo Wildwolves on Friday morning. The boys showed a little pre-tournament rust, as they hadn't played a game in over two weeks. It looked like we may pull out the victory, leading 7-5 with 5 minutes left in the game...but Waterloo scored 3 unanswered to secure the 8-7 win.
Downed hydro lines meant no power at Allman arena, leading to our second game Friday being postponed until Saturday.
Once we stepped onto the ice Saturday morning vs Cambridge, our kids showed a little more hop. The huge Cambridge kids were muscling our kids around a bit, but they didn't despair, and managed to work out a 3-3 draw. It was a game that required a lot of hard work and determination, and our kids rose to that challenge. Cambridge was a physically dominating team, consisting of several 2004 age-category boys.
This tie set-up a must win vs host Stratford later that day. We were a little flat once again, and trailed 1-0 after one period. But the kids stepped up when it mattered most, and potted 5 unanswered to secure a semi-final rematch Sunday morning vs Cambridge.
The boys knew they'd have to work hard to gain a birth in the finals. The kids came out flying, peppering the Cambridge goal with shot after shot, only to be turned away by a solid Cambridge goaltender. Shift after shift our kids held the play deep in the Cambridge zone, and rang a shot hard off the right post during the second period that many fans thought went in the net. But we couldn't catch a break, and it was 0-0 after two periods. This set up an exciting 3rd period....and we finally managed to crack the armour, potting a goal early in the third. The way the game was shaping up, we thought this may be enough...but it was not. Cambridge turned the tide, scoring on the man advantage, and scored two more quick ones to take a 3-1 lead with 6 minutes remaining. But our boys did not hang their heads and fade into the sunset....they played their guts out, and scored two goals in the final 5 minutes to tie the affair and send the crowd into a frenzy. The picture on this article shows the excitement in the kids faces after the tying goal went in.....with Lukas pumping the crowd for more noise (who taught him that?!? Must have been Mom....)
But alas, the Cinderella story was not to be. Cambridge scored a flukey goal with 40 seconds remaining in the contest to quell the comeback, and secure their spot in the final with a 4-3 victory.
I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say that was the most amazing final game to end the season (okay, second best to winning!). Our kids left it all on the ice, and dominated the play for 90% of the game against a bigger, stronger (albeit less talented and determined!) Cambridge team. The kids deserved a better fate based on their effort, but in sports this is sometimes how it goes....and will leave the boys motivated with something to prove next season. We are all VERY proud of you, Minor Novice Hawks!