It was Super Bowl
Sunday in Chesley and the second place Oakville Rangers were in town for a tilt
with our Waste Management Minor Peewees.
The Highlanders knew that this was going to be yet another tough game to
win but they were well prepared.
They dropped the puck and the Rangers broke out of the gate like their breaches were afire. They quickly opened the scoring in the first minute of play. The Highlanders were not deterred and did not panic. It’s fair to say that the Rangers dominated play for the next part of this period but lacked “finish”. That’s when Danny Skinner spotted Jakob Lee breaking through the neutral zone and hit him with a great pass. Captain took over from there, broke clear of the defence and buried one top shelf with 5:08 yet to play. The game was tied at 1 goal each and the Highlanders were back in the game and getting stronger. A late penalty to the Highlanders led to another goal by Oakville with 2:08 remaining. But it was a hard earned goal as the Jack Armstrong and the penalty killers did their best to fight off a disturbed hornets’ nest for almost the full two minutes. The score after 1 Period was 2-1 for the Rangers but this was a great period of hockey.
The Second Period saw more of the same great action with neither team giving an inch of real estate. That’s when our www.hockeyshot.ca player of the game, Eric Charlebois made a great rush, fired a shot and Troy Weber smashed in the rebound. The game was tied at 2 goals each with 13:08 yet to play. Both teams had solid chances to score in this period. Ethan Bullivant had a fine chance with a hard point shot that was just a little tiny, tiny bit wide.....about a hay wagon. But the period ended tied at 2 goals each and the Highlanders were very much in this contest. These exciting kids just won’t give up and are playing solid hockey as the year winds down.
But penalties do kill in this league and the Rangers began the Third Period on the power play. Sorry I didn’t get his number but hats off to an Oakville lad that blew past three of our guys as smooth as the hips on a garter snake and buried one, only 32 seconds into the Period. The Waste Management Minor Peewees could not bounce back this time as the opposition tightened up their defensive play. Oakville scored with 9:02 left and added another power play goal with 8:07 remaining. The score was suddenly 5-2 for the Rangers and that’s how it finished.
These guys have made great strides since the beginning of the year. Let’s give Coach Tom and Coach Scott their dues. Because of their effort and patience these guys have developed into a fine, competitive hockey team. They are tough to beat. And even better than that, they are still having a whole lot of fun out there.
But the season isn’t over yet as your Waste Management Minor Peewees meet the Brampton Battalion in Chesley next Saturday at 3:00pm, followed by a Sunday matchup with the Guelph Storm in Markdale at 12:00 noon.
See ya there........we ain’t done yet.