Well folks, this cowboy is feeling about as low as a
snakes belly in a wagon rut. Will
somebody just tell me it aint so. It
was just last April when the Grey Bruce Highlanders selected a bunch of guys
for their Minor Peewee hockey club
We were sponsored by “Waste Management” for 2010-11 and those folks were only terrific. Individuals stepped up and so did “HockeyShot.ca”. It didn’t take us long to figure out that we had a great group of hockey players, dedicated parents and outstanding coaches, trainers and managers. Now all we had to do was to put it all together. And that’s just what we did. There was quite a hodgepodge of parents on this squad. We had electricians, plumbers, farmers, salesmen, store clerks, teachers, butchers, bakers, candlestick makers, the odd old fart, aunts, uncles, helicopter pilots and even a retired pole dancer. And we did it folks, without incident; without quarrel and we all created memories that will last us a lifetime. And it was whole lot of fun every day and each one of the 40,000 kilometres. I think I need a hug. But not from you, Uncle Cody. I was thinkin more along the lines of the pole dancer.
The Waste Management Minor Peewees had their final tournament of the year at the SCTA Tournament in St. Catharines this past weekend. This gaggle started out this year as strangers from smaller towns and centres without any AAA experience. The opposition was tough and battle hardened and their goal was to finish the season as competitors in the highest level of minor hockey available. And that’s exactly what they did.......MISSION ACCOMPLISHED.
We have our last four games of the year to report. Game #1 against the Guelph Storm promised to be an even contest and indeed it was. The Highlanders came out flying right off the jump and dominated the First Period. This period was fast and both teams were very physical but the referees were letting them play. It was Guelph who scored first from a great passing play that left Jack Armstrong with no chance to stop. The boys were not deterred and after an outstanding penalty kill, Tyson Wilkins did all the hard work; fed Noah Solinger who got the puck to Michael Fiegehen. Mike knew what to do with it. The game was tied at 1 goal apiece after one period. And the guys were outstanding in the Second Period. They were clearly the dominating force and Noah Solinger scored his goal of the day with a pass from Ethan Bullivant. Then there was that dreaded bouncing puck thing that refused to be corralled by our defenseman that led to a Guelph breakaway. The Storm scored on that effort and once again the score was tied at 2 goals each with 9:12 left. The Highlanders were still skating hard and still out-chancing the opponent but they never scored again in that period. Let’s give some credit to Quinton Maddock on this day who was only outstanding in all aspects of his venture. We were tied at 2 into the Third Period and the game was getting a tad bit feisty. The Guelph Storm finally banged one home with 9:23 to play in the game. It remained 3-2 for Guelph until Michael Fiegehen tied it up 2:40 to play in the game. The game finished in a 3-3 tie. Hats off to both teams this morning. This game was fun to watch and Michael was named player of the game.
We were challenged in Game #2 by the Welland Tigers. Those Tigers are a tough bunch of dudes but the SCTA has found out long ago that the Highlanders will take a back seat to nobody. And this game was played as advertised. Ryan Winter was minding the store and he was outstanding. The first goal of the game was scored by Troy Weber, unassisted so it says. But let’s back up on that one. There was a great 3–way passing play on that particular rush by Troy, Noah Johnson and Eric Charlebois that didn’t click. But Troy Weber never gave up on the play......stole it back from the defenseman and drove it home with 7:44 to play. It’s pretty to watch when it’s done right. That’s when we ran into a bit of penalty trouble and Welland finally scored on power play to tie the game at 2 with 4:04 remaining. The Tigers kept up the pressure for the rest of the Period and a rolling puck was deemed to cross the line with just 11 seconds left in the stanza. Some of us didn’t think it was a goal but let’s give the referee the benefit of the doubt......it was just too close for us to call and after all, he had good position. So we went to the Second Period down 2-1 and it anybody’s game. Each and every Highlander was playing their best. There were passengers on this afternoon. Scotty Chisholm was absolutely flying out there. Ethan was bangin them in there. That Dupont kid was knockin them about and Quinton Maddock continued to be a force. But let’s give credit to Troy Weber, the human buzz saw, who scored his second goal of the game from Eric Charlebois and Danny Skinner after Welland went ahead 3-1 on a tidy wraparound. The score after 2 periods of play was 3-2 for Welland but was far from being over. The Third Period of this game was just plain old fashioned Canadian hockey. This was just an outstanding effort by both teams and the referees let them play. There was speed, great goaltending, great chances and solid hitting. Both trainers were busy and their “charges” left nothing on the ice. Just a great period of hockey folks and the Welland Tigers were the only team to score an empty net goal with 30 seconds left. Final score......4-2 Welland Tigers. The Waste Management Minor Peewees finished strong and proud. Troy Weber was rightfully chosen as player of the game.
So the Highlanders finished Day 1 with a tie and a narrow loss but by gawd they sure were competing. Now the boys went back to the hotel to lick their wounds. The bunch of them were black and blue, spent and the odd laceration needed tended to. That’s when a bunch of them got a little goofy. A lot of the guys had their heads shaved before this tournament with red Mohawks and numbers on the sides of their hollow heads. Dick Scissorhands Skinner was there to look after a bunch more of them for the second day. Shawn Charlebois was the colour man and before they were done the Grey Bruce Highlanders looked more like a tribe than a hockey team. But whatever they were, they sure know how to have fun and they all hit the sack early for a big day tomorrow. The parents went to bed early too............Hall Monitor supplied by Quality Inn........there were no incidents to report.
It’s Day 2 and our first opponent was the First Place Halton Hurricanes. This promised to be a tough game to win and indeed it was. We were short handed before this game even started and we lost another one early with one of those dreaded 2 + 10 penalties. Halton took advantage and scored two power play goals in the First and added 3 more goals in the Second Period. This was a tough team to beat in the best of times but the Highlanders regrouped between periods and played with renewed energy. This team never gave up and Eric Charlebois finally got us on the board on a nice passing play from Troy Weber and Noah Johnson in the Third. The team played a great Third Period and created a whole bunch of chances but let’s face it, Halton was just not going to be beaten on this day. They win 7-1.
So now we are down to what was to be our last game of the year. It’s been a great season for these young Highlanders and they deserved a storybook ending. And that’s what happened. Guess who showed up just before the last game with the Oakville Rangers? Greg Bullivant put the war in Afghanistan on-hold, flew in from thousands of miles away to cheer for Ethan and his buddies for their last game as Minor Peewees. He brought all of the boys an Afghanistan Tilley Hat. These are quality tested chapeaus that only meet the Afghan seal of approval after they safely pass through the south end of a camel and the boys wore them with pride. Does it get any better than that? I don’t think so. Greg has to go back in a few weeks to look after some unfinished business and we can’t wait for his safe return.
But let’s get to the game. The Oakville Rangers finished Second in the SCTA and this was going to be tough. They like to score in bunches and that’s just what they did. They scored two goals back-to-back very early in the contest. But the Highlanders were still playing a very strong game. Then Scotty Chisholm got up close and personal with the boards with a little help from somebody’s friend and his year finished a little earlier than planned for. So now the Waste Management Minor Peewees were down to two lines and six defensemen. But were they ever a tough bunch of dudes. There was no quit in this crew and Eric Charlebois got us closer with 2:21 left in the period with a pass from Noah Johnson. The score after One Period was 2-1 for Oakville. We were right back in it and carried the play. Solly was close. Troy was close. Mark was close. The entire team was still working hard and did not stop skating. Then, oops, there they go again. I don’t know how they do it, but the Rangers banged in three more hard earned goals in less than a minute. We were now behind the eight ball at 5-1 before Mark Dupont banged a hard one to the net. That one missed but Troy Weber was hard on the forecheck, stole the puck and got it back to Michael Fiegehen who made no mistake. We were back in it and the score was 5-2. It’s safe to say that our shorthanded crew was getting a little weary and the Oakville Rangers did get a couple more power play goals before the period ended. The score after Two Periods was 7-2 for the bad guys. The Highlanders needed a rest and the flood at the end of the Second period was a welcome sight. Now we are going to the Third Period and the boys were not going to go silently into the night. I wish every team and every fan in the Highlander Nation was in St. Catharines to watch that gritty bunch of lobos. They went out in a blaze of glory. They stepped on to the ice for their last period as Minor Peewees and they were magnificent. The boys totally dominated that chapter. And hope bout this. Ethan Bullivant thanked his Dad for coming by blasting one from the point assisted by Troy Weber with 5:45 to play. Now let’s look back five or six months ago. The first goal of the year for these guys was scored by Evan Spencer. He’s also the Highlander with the last one with just 18 seconds to play. He was assisted by Noah Solinger and Quinton Maddock. The final score in this one was 7-4 for Oakville.
The players of the game for this tilt were chosen as Mark Dupont, Bradyn Thompson and Michael Fiegehen. The most outstanding player for the tournament was Troy Weber. Without doubt, the most outstanding players of the year were the Waste Management Minor Peewees. These guys played the final game of the year short-handed and physically worn but their heart was as big as a house. This guy is pretty proud of everybody on this team.
It’s been a great year. Thanks to Coach Tom, Vonnie, Don, Scott, Rob, Tim and the other Scott. The final word has to go out to our own Captain Jake. Thank you Jakob Lee. You were the best Captain any team could ever hope to have.
Look out SCTA. These Highlanders will be back and they will be even stronger as Major Peewees for the 2011-12 season.
I hope I’m back next year too, but for now...........
...........THAT’S ALL SHE WROTE...........
The Grey Bruce Highlanders Waste Management Minor PeeWee's would like to give a
SPECIAL THANKS TO GRANDPA
for providing our game reports this season.