The Atom Highlanders headed to Chesley on Saturday to meet up with St. Catharines Niagara North for a double header. The boys came out strong putting lots of pressure on the Niagara boys. They worked hard keeping the puck in the Niagara end and dominating the play. They battled hard but were not able to find the net. The first period ended with no score.
The battle continued into the second period with lots of back and forth play. The St. Catharines team managed to slip one past Talon with a quick shot off the face-off half way through the second period. A minute later they tried again but were denied with a great save from Talon. The Highlanders boys were determined to get the goal back and that they did with 4 minutes left in the period. With a great pass from Loosemore to Brown, the Niagara goalie wasn’t able to hold onto the puck and Aljoe got a hold of the rebound to score. A breakaway from Loosemore at the end of the period had the fans on their feet but the Niagara goalie made a great save to keep the score at 1-1 at the end of the second.
The boys got off to a slow start at the beginning of the third and took some time to regroup and get the puck out of their end. Once they found their groove again, they started to put some pressure on Niagara. Black had a breakaway but was stopped by the Niagara defence leading to a Niagara penalty. The boys were unable to capitalize on the power play and Lina and his wingers forced the play at the net but were unable to get past the Niagara goalie. The next 8 minutes of play was back and forth with both teams fighting for the go-ahead goal. With just under 3 minutes left in the game, Niagara managed to get two more between the pipes, to end the game at 3-1.
After fueling up at the Torrie’s with a great potluck, the Highlander boys game back to the rink with the hopes of bringing down the Niagara team for the second match of the day. The first period started off fast with both teams skating hard. Aljoe tried to sneak one past the Niagara goalie with a wrap-around but was denied. Despite their hard work, neither team was able to find the net, and the first period ended with no score.
The second period was much of the same. Both teams evenly matched and lots of back and forth play. Niagara was putting the pressure on Donnelly but he responded with many great saves. The Highlanders came back with several good attempts on the Niagara net but could not get past the Niagara goalie. The second period ended with no goals on the scoreboard.
After flooding the ice, the boys came out with a determined look on their faces. The defence stood solid throughout the period, shutting down the Niagara attackers time after time. Donnelly shut down any pucks that made their way past the defence to frustrate the Niagara boys. The forwards made some great plays with Stewart and Lina, then Black and Lightfoot charging the net. Lightfoot made a break past the Niagara defence but wasn’t able to get past the Niagara goalie. Aljoe and Black in front of the net were a force to be reckoned with and Black’s shot off the post had the fans on their feet again. A breakaway from Loosemore half way through the period had the fans hopeful again but the Niagara goalie refused to give up. With only 15 seconds left in the game, Niagara managed to sneak one past Donnelly to end the game 1-0.
Article written by Janice Bye