Well
Team Yellow finally turned golden this holiday season as they participated in
the Ray Hunt Classic House League
Tournament on December 28. With
energy Team Yellow took to the ice in it’s opening game vs Guelph.
Team Yellow fell behind early but kept the pressure on through some intense forechecking. In the second period Drew Roper almost found the back of the net when he poked at a loose puck that was steered cleared by the Guelph goalie at the last second. Team Yellow’s wingers, Tommy Lomas, Dylan Cordingley, and Garrett Rasmussen skated their lanes faster than Santa’s reindeer. Davis Pipher showed his teammates and the large crowd on hand that he has some soft hands when put a sweet pass on Owen Hambly’s stick who then levelled the score. Our unshakeable defensive corps, lead by our fearless goaltender Reed, kept the game to 1-1 until 14 seconds left in the 3rd when a Guelph player got a lucky bounce and snuck in for a goal.
The last-second defeat in game one did little to dampen the spirits or determination of Team Yellow in game two. They came charging out against The Barrie Dragons and scored their first victory of the year. Lead by Owen, who scored a hat trick, Team Yellow took an lead early and never looked back. Some highlight-reel plays include Christian Wiesner’s oh-so-close chances to bang in his first goal of his hockey career and Owen’s beauty deke on a penalty shot.
The third and final game was another victory for Team Yellow giving them a 2-1 record for the tournament. In this match-up Team Yellow sent another team from Guelph down to defeat. Once again Owen found the back of the net in this one but it was also Eric Rogan’s turn to score for the first time since joining Team Yellow. Notable mention goes to Cameron Easton who played a solid two-way game at centre and was called on a couple of times to help kill off penalties. Also, Garrett Rasmussen found the strength to battle through a vexing cold that took him out of game one but he made a glorious return in games two and three.
Once again in our end our defense was lead by our goalie and player of the game, Reed Ottaway, who did his part in keeping the Guelph offense to just two goals. The defensive duo of Jada Kosowan and Joey Nalli got the puck out of our zone and joined in some offensive rushes. Likewise, Joey Gumulka and Bronson McCallum did so on their watch as Bronson heroically played with an injured leg – Bobby Baun has nothing on this guy!
Finally, all of the coaches would like to congratulate the Team on their first two victories and thank them all for their hard work. This tournament was a fun experience where we had the opportunity to bond as a team and enjoy some success that no doubt will continue into the New Year.
Happy New Year everyone and see you at the rink!
Coach Jan