Jan 07, 2019 | GeoffRead | 217 views
Hawks Start 2019 With Convincing Team Win
The West London Bantam Hawks #27 began 2019 the right way: by playing a convincing team game complete with a consistent 2-way effort to earn a 2-0 win over North London #27, a team the Hawks had allowed to storm back and tie their last game 5-5. This was, in other words, a satisfying win because the Hawks played the full 35 minutes to earn the victory.
Goalie Zach Read was named the player of the game for his steady play in the net. Indeed, Read deserved full credit for the shutout as he stopped 4 full or partial breakaways in the contest. His best save probably came in the third as he tracked North's best player who came off the left wing in alone and fired a hard shot high to the far side. Read snagged the shot with his glove to preserve the 1-0 lead and the Hawks scored a second goal shortly thereafter to seal the deal.
All three lines played well. The trio of Matt Hodgins at centre between left winger Cole Chick and right winger Jack Churney had several dominant shifts, penning the Nationals in their own end. One of these led to a goal by Hodgins in the first, as Churney and Chick worked the puck around the boards on the cycle before Hodgins took it off the left wing boards and broke out front on his back hand, sliding the puck five-hole on the big (and flashy) Nationals' goaltender for what proved to be the game-winning goal.
The second goal was also generated off sustained pressure on the Nationals' defence. First, right winger Brendan Walsh generated some speed through the neutral zone and harassed the Nationals defender on a dump in. Under pressure, he turned the puck over to Matt DiCicco who was the second man in who worked the puck behind the net back to Walsh. Walsh then put the puck into the slot where centreman Callum Knapp picked it up on his backhand and went top shelf to get the insurance marker in the third.
The third line of Owen Worby between wingers #9 and Nathan Senese didn't find the back of the net but they too used the forecheck to good effect. Senese missed a glorious chance to score in the third, Worby stickhandled his way to several good chances, and #9 was notable for his crisp passes up the middle on the breakout.
The defence also had a good game. The duo of Noah Weber and Jacob Grover played a quiet error-free game and got a couple of shots on net to boot. Pyper Baker and Liam Stewart played well as a unit with Stewart putting pressure on the Nationals on the rush and Baker playing her heady game and acting like a sweeper in a soccer match to shut down the Nationals' chances.
There were really four keys to the win. First, Read was very solid and sometimes spectacular in net. Second, the Hawks worked their breakout to near perfection for most of the game. Third, the Hawks remained disciplined when North got chippy. The result was that North took four selfish penalties and the Hawks had none. This was particularly key in the third period when the game was close but the Nationals shot themselves in the foot with two foolish penalties and the Hawks didn't retaliate: Walsh, Knapp, Stewart, and Churney all took one for the team to draw the penalties. Fourth, the forwards backchecked hard and shut down many Nationals' rushes, including some before they got started. DiCicco, for example, made a smart hard-working play that only hardcore hockey people would notice or appreciate in the third period. Baker pinched at the blueline and unfortunately the puck got by her. It looked like the Nationals might get an odd-man rush or even a breakaway. But there was DiCicco working hard on the backcheck and backing his pinching teammate up. He cut the rush off before it even got to the red line and dumped the puck back in the Nationals' end where it stayed for the next minute. It was the kind of play that wins hockey games.
Many other Hawks made laudable plays on the backcheck including Hodgins, Senese, Worby, and Walsh. It was a great team win and hopefully the Hawks will remember this recipe for success going forward.
Go Hawks go!