Feb 09, 2015 | goldfield | 740 views
Chaser,Hayden and Justin Tie One On
The Thunder began their march through the A Division playoff round robin with a visit to Midland taking on the resurgent Centennials.
Oro started the playoffs against a team in Midland that had played us extremely close all season and this match was to be no exception
We learned in the dressing room that several of our players were either under the weather or suffering the effects of a previous daylong alpine excursion so we tried to whip up their energy
We were buoyed and happy to see Eddie back in our line up to start the game as he had been out since Niagara
The Fast One picked up right where he left off charging the wing hard all game.
The first five minutes,however, found us on our heels as Midland took the play to Oro hemming us in our zone.
Justin had to be sharp from the opening whistle and made some key early saves and freezes to slow the pressure
Soon after Oro began to get their legs with smart zone exits and odd man rushes
Midland had their exceptional keeper Jake back between the pipes for the first time in months and we asked the boys to test his rustiness. Unfortunately we had trouble hitting the net at times and missed on some key opportunities.
That is until late first where Ty hit Doogie in full stride with a smart pass,who then blew by the Midland defender to find himself in all alone.
Eric used a ridiculous move that completely fooled Jake and slid the puck into the empty cage
With seconds left on the clock Ben found himself alone in his house and batted home a rebound right on the buzzer which would have given us a healthy 2 goal lead. No goal and not the first time we have needed an extra half second vs Midland this year
1-0 after 1
Second period saw Oro continue to push the action and while we controlled the play were unable to capitalize.
We held the lead into the third which saw us get into penalty trouble
Hayden played a solid game by using his size and speed to either slow down the oncoming rushes or fly back hard on any that slipped the gauntlet. he was a force down low protecting the crease when need be and battled hard to the final whistle earning D man of the game honours.
The third marched on until Midland's assistant Trevor ripped a high slot shot that deflected off our D and beat Justin who had no chance.
This seem to put wind in the Centennials sails and it was now they who carried the momentum.
Chaser played a determined and hard skating two way game up the middle from start to finish
He was constantly aware of Midland's speedy pivots and caught and turned pucks over on them game long
No better example was when Midland had a partial break mid third where Chaser tracked down the shooter and battled him wide and off the puck to seal off any rebound chance. All effort,all game.
I asked for hard two way play and Chaser delivered for POG honours..congrats bud.
There was some back and forth action that Midland seemed to get the better of and then we ran into penalty trouble. It was the final 7 minutes that Justin really took it to a new level.
Midland had so many in close chances yet Justin was there every time with quick pads,glove and positioning.
We eventually killed the penalties and late game swarms thanks in large part to Justin's heroic work and strong penalty killing as well from Aidan and Jacob.
After the game we reflected on what it will take to advance from this round robin as the teams left are a combination of closely fought foes and highly accomplished question marks.
Told the team we need to increase our focus and eliminate the simple mental errors that can end up in you own net quickly vs high end teams. Most times simple is better especially when under duress.
The effort and heart WAS there,however,and boys earned full marks for their compete
Becoming Champions will require a successful blending of both focus and effort into ONE creating a singular mass of rolling,unstoppable Thunder.
Are we up for the challenge?
I believe we are.
Final
Oro 1- Midland 1