Oct 17, 2012 | dblack | 1335 views
Chapman's Ice Cream Major Atoms Secure First Reg. Season Win
On Sunday, Oct. 14th, the Chapman's Ice Cream Major Atoms were back in Chesley to face the Halton Hurricanes. The Hurricanes have 10 new players and a new Coach and have had a slow start to their season. The Highlanders were hoping to catch them while they were down and capture their first regular season win.
The first period was relatively even in both shots and chances. With 5:30 left, Crowley(Flesherton) was sent off for hooking. On the ensuing penalty kill, the Hurricanes were stopped at the Highlander blue line as our defense stood their ground. The puck would bounce free and was snapped up by Leblanc(Mt. Forest). He sent a perfect pass to Rahn(Durham) who rushed the Hurricane goal and made no mistake bulging the twine. The first period came to a close with the Highlanders up 1-0 on the short-handed goal.
In the second period, each team would register 9 shots. However, the Hurricanes seemed to have the greater chances and Kinch(Bruce Penninsula) was forced to make several great saves to keep the Hurricanes off the board. The Highlanders were doing a great job not allowing any second chances around our net. The score would remain 1-0 as we headed to the third.
Coach Goldie must have had a very inspirational chat with the team between periods. The Highlanders played the third period to perfection, not allowing the Hurricanes a sniff around our net. At 4:00 minutes into the third, Crowley would steal the puck at the red line and burst towards the Hurricane net. At the top of the circle, he unleashed a rocket that wrestled its way off the goaltenders arm and into the net. This provided a very important insurance goal. With the third period winding down, I checked the shot clock as it seemed the Highlanders had the puck most of the time. To my surprise, the Highlanders had outshot the Hurricanes 9-0 in the period and their was less than 5 minutes to play. If you are the superstitious type, then this was the wrong thing to do. Moments later, the puck was in the corner with two Highlanders blanketing a Hurricane player as they fought for it. The puck popped out of the scrum into the slot to a waiting Hurricane who was left all alone. He was able to get Kinch moving and then planted the puck just over his pad to break the shutout. This would be the only shot the Highlanders gave up in the third as they suffocated any threat the rest of the way. Special mention to Brayden Krueger(Owen Sound) who threw himself in front of a shot with only 10 seconds left. As he withered to the ice in agony, the puck deflected harmlessly into the corner.
Overall, these two teams are very close and I'm sure the Hurricanes will be gunning for us the next time out. Until then, the Highlanders can celebrate this victory and hopefully build upon it as they go forward.