Mar 07, 2015 | goldfield | 921 views
Colt and Connor Lead Thunder Within One of Finals
Friday night tilt in Stayner and just another ho hum, do or die for our squad against the mighty Cyclone.
The pressure doesn't seem to affect this team one bit
The team was very loose before the game and I wondered if they understood the importance of what lied ahead...a loss would torpedo our chances of moving to the finals
Perhaps they knew something this coach didn't as the lads charged out of gate like lions.
Just seventeen seconds into the match Chase followed instructions to a tee (we'll keep that to ourselves) ripping a hard shot on goal where Jacob had driven the net in perfect position to push the puck past the Cyclone's netminder.
What a start!
We had a full line-up dressed, minus the Mighty Magoo of course, for the first time in what seemed like ages.
This allowed the forwards to stay fresher through the match although our D was taxed running a 4/5 rotation.
The D was a catalyst tonight.
Stayner has several big,fast hard shooting players and we continually challenged and pressured game long to take away time and space.
Hayden,Eric ,Connor and Harry continued their excellent play and shut down so many rushes.
Stayner was forced to rip shots from longer distance and Justin looked so confident picking off rockets like an allstar shortstop would line drives.
The game was marred with many penalties.... some we are still looking for frankly.
Combined with more egregious conduct being missed/ignored led to confusion and frustration on our bench.
Harry suffered a head injury from such mid second and we weren't happy about it.
As a result we lost our Captain for the remainder of the game
Chase has played defense before and I wanted his skills on the ice as much as possible in this critical match...so back he went to fill in for Cappy.
He wasted no time in playing a one on one to perfection...staying with and challenging a big forward at the right time to snuff out the rush.
That combined with his smooth skating and heads up passing made zone exits a breeze
Incredible job Chaser as we have witnessed from you season long...except this time it was at both ends of the rink!!
Ty,Ben and Eddie were flying the right wing with enthusiasm and perfect head mans game long.Come second Eddie found Doogie on the PP who banged home the 2-0 marker. Scoresheet shows Jacob with the apple but that was Eddie's down low work missed and he was a crease monster this match.
Lots of penalty kills time this game and the lines were constantly in the blender as a result
Colt was playing the left side and had an exceptional game using his trademark competitiveness and high hockey IQ to quickly learn the nuances of wing.
Mid second we were on a critical PK where Colt rushed the shooting lane of Stayner's big pointman ..he of the incredible slapper
A hard shot of the ankle ensued,but Colt gutted out the shift and took one courageously for the team
His dogged work was highly noticible all game be it up the boards,in the corners or charging back to interrupt rushes
Another excellent all around game Colt as you grow more comfortable at forward...and co player of the game honours for the Cerebral Assassin!
Into the third up two and mid period we gained Stayner's zone and saw a smart play to the point from Doogie
Connor tee'd up a slapper that Owen banged home for the stranglehold 3-0 lead
Connor-man was at his best this day showing ever growing confidence. As his his way,he threw everything at the opposition with unyielding effort; Stand-up one on ones,great passes,strong point shots and dumps under pressure...just an all around stand out game.
While I warned him about not over handling the puck at times,I am encouraged that he has grown confidence to try new things and the recognition of when and when not will come.
I love all heart effort and Connor brings this attitude to each and every game; he leads on the ice AND in the dressing room by speaking up and asking appropriate questions.
As I have said before,a letter does not preclude others from leading and some of the more demonstrative voices in our room include Flash,Owen and Aidan but Connor might be the most vocal in such a good way.
A letter is in this young man's future,but for today another co- player of the game honour.
I think I jinxed the team as I no sooner said lets focus on the zero that a big blast did an alley-oop over Justin and just trickled over the goal line before it could be scooped out. It really is a game of inches
A time out with some instructions did the trick as Stayner was unable to find solid footing even with the tender pulled for the final buck thirty.
Yes,the boys rolled in with a nonplussed attitude but once the puck dropped,it was all game face.
Heart,courage and compete brought us within one game of what seemed a long shot just three games ago
Tomorrow we summon everything we have learned and worked so hard on this season to accomplish a goal I had quietly set for this team before the opening faceoff this season; The A Division Championship Finals
My money is on these boys to do just that.
Final
Oro 3 - Stayner 1