Jan 09, 2012 | Mark Langridge | 1380 views
A Great Start to 2012 for the Biermans Minor Bantams
Written by Tom Macham:
The Minor bantams started off the New Year with a bang this weekend past by posting back-to-back wins in their home rink.
The first “lamb to the slaughter” was the Oakville Rangers. Maybe still smarting from a 6-3 loss from the Rangers on Dec 22nd the Highlanders came out hungry and took it to the boys in red, white and blue right off the hop. However, Oakville was first to “tickle the twine” at 12:11 of the first period. Not to be outdone, the ‘98’s battled hard in the 2nd and were rewarded when a Brady Becker (Durham) backhand found the back of the net. Assists going to Justin Donnelly (Walkerton) and Justin McCrae (Owen Sound).
The 2nd period saw a continued assault on the Oakville net with paydirt coming near the 5 minute mark. Another laser beam shot from Jordan Caskenette (Owen Sound) which the Oakville ‘tender couldn’t handle cleanly found the puck loose briefly at the edge of the crease. Walkerton’s Justin Donnelly, forever the opportunist, was “johnny on the spot” and even though he was being mauled by an Oakville defenseman was able to tap his 8th of the year in the back of the net for the winning goal. Solid as usual in the Highlander cage was Tristan Lewis (Port Elgin) stopping 18 of 19 shots.
Sunday saw the Hamilton Bulldogs pay their first visit of the year to Chesley. The 2010-11 OMHA and OHF champs weren’t having the same kind of year as previous but still an extremely formidable opponent. However, bolstered by Saturday’s win over Oakville the boys in black (the new year saw a switch in home and away uniforms) came to play and found themselves knotted at zeros after 2 periods of play. Creemore’s Brendan Macham was solid between the pipes stopping all 18 Hamilton shots in the first 2 frames.
The 3rd period saw things come unraveled for the Hamiltonians as a string of 8 minutes in penalties began which later proved to be the difference in the game. Scoring first, on the power play, was Mount Forest’s Cole Hodgins (#4) with his 6th of the year @ 13:49 with assists going to Alec Tiley (Shallow Lake) and Jordan Caskenette (Owen Sound). Known mainly for his bone crushing body checks #4 can “bury the biscuit” when the opportunity comes. Then with 5:23 to go, the “dagger in the heart” for Hamilton occurred with Owen Sound’s #23 Caskenette barreling down the left wing and using his patented wrist shot, put the puck where “momma keeps the cookies” top shelf over the Bulldog goaltenders shoulder. Assisted by Justin Donnelly (Walkerton) the goal took the wind out of the sails of the “Steeltown Gang” and the expected onslot never happened. Final shots were 27-16 Hamilton with our boys having a penalty free game.
WOW – a four point weekend and a defeat of an elite team (myhockeyrankings.com has Hamilton rated as 6th out of 55 for ’98 AAA in Ontario). Savour it boys but not for too long - back to work this weekend in Niagara Falls.
Biermans Bar & Grill is the proud sponsor of the Grey Bruce Highlanders Minor Bantam team and support local sports! You can find Biermans at 100 1st Avenue on the main street in Chesley ... You can join us for 60¢ wing Wednesdays or $6.00 burger Tuesdays! Biermans boasts a fun friendly family atmosphere with a touch of class! With live entertainment on weekends all year long and a large banquet facility upstairs with a capacity of 80+, there’s always excitement in the air at Biermans Bar and Grill. New menu, New Chef, New management!