Oct 23, 2012 | dblack | 1324 views
Success Is How High You Bounce When You Hit Rock Bottom
Still feeling the high from their first SCTA win, the Chapman's Ice Cream Highlander warriors headed off to their second tournament of the year, the Kitchener Oktoberfest tournament.
The boys rolled into the Activa Sportsplex on Friday for their first match of the day against the Brantford 99’ers. Brantford was still feeling the burn from the last time these two teams met in Peterborough where a hungry Highlander team surprised them with their speed and determination. Brantford was out for revenge and they started early. The early pressure was too much and the Highlanders were forced to take their first penalty. Brantford capitalized on the power play when the puck deflected off a defensemen’s leg out front and right onto a Brantford stick where they made no mistake. From that point on, nothing would go right for the Highlanders in this game. We weren’t mentally prepared, we didn’t have the speed and determination, we weren’t winning the 1-on-1 battles and we were turning over the puck more than coffee at a Tim Horton’s drive thru. That was the story in this one. It was not the Highlander team that we have been seeing as of late. Just telling it like it is folks. Brantford finished the first with 3, 2 in the second and 3 in the third.
Shake it off boys and get ready for Kanata. Kanata was one of the most skilled teams in the tournament so we knew we were in for another tough one. Just as the morning game started, Kanata went on the offense and just a minute into the game placed a shot just inside the post to make it 1-0. A couple of minutes later Kanata pounced on a loose puck in the neutral zone and took it in for a shorthanded marker and a 2-0 lead. Things didn’t get much better from there. Kanata scored 2 more in the second and 4 more in the third. For the second game in a row, things did not go our way. The puck took some bad bounces; off skates and legs that eventually found the back of the net.
Once again, shake it off and get ready for Saturday. Believe it or not, we are still in this tournament. The first game on Saturday was Gloucester. We were in search of some much needed mental toughness, speed and determination. Whatever you do, don’t come out flat. The Highlanders must not have been listening, as this one started with Gloucester putting the pressure on and pinning us in our end. It didn’t end well for this Highlander team as for the third game in a row we gave up an early goal. This couldn’t be happening…could it? Has anyone seen the movie Groundhog Day? We were about to live it. Gloucester scored 2 more goals in the first when they jumped quickly on their rebounds. Gloucester then scored 3 more in the second. At this point this writer was ready to leave the building. Where was that never giving up attitude? But as I took two steps away from my post, Gavin Mikaczo forced a turnover at the opponents blue-line and walked in all alone where he fired a hard wrister to the top shelf. Finally some life! That momentum carried through most of the third as the Highlanders battled toe-to-toe, but quickly faded with just under 4 minutes to play where the opponent scored 3 more times to finish the game.
I’m sure the coaching staff were as baffled as the parents were at this point. When would the Highlander team we’ve seen before going to show up? Out shot 97 to 38 and outscored 25 to 1. Teams do not go physically flat; they go mentally stale. I’m hoping we had just hit rock bottom because we can’t go much lower. It was time to land and bounce back. Funny thing is, at this point we could still play Sunday with a win on Saturday night.
Bring on the South Central Coyotes, let’s finish off with a positive note. Something was different about this game; the mental toughness was back. The Highlanders came out flying and put the pressure on the Coyotes right from the drop of the puck. In fact, so much pressure that it was with just less than 3 minutes to play in the first before the Coyotes registered their first shot on goal. The scoring started for the Highlanders three minutes into the first when Brody Leblanc won the draw to Owen Rahn who quickly lifted a nice backhand into the top corner. But with just 12 seconds to play in the first, the Coyotes tied it up on the power play. Highlanders started the second as they did in the first by putting the pressure on early. That pressure paid off when Brayden Krueger took advantage of a fallen goalie and dumped in a rebound off an Owen Rahn shot. Just two minutes later Sam Shakes batted in a Liam Colhoun rebound on the power play. The remainder of the second was evenly played with no further scoring. Down 3-1, the Coyotes picked it up a notch in the final period and made it a lot tougher for the Highlanders. The Coyotes scored with just over 6 minutes left in the third and the Highlanders were back to a one-goal lead. It is time to bunker down folks; we are in for an exciting finish. With just under four minutes to play, some great work from Brody Leblanc pushing the puck into the Coyotes end zone finding Owen Rahn who got the shot off quick and the goalie left a nice juicy rebound for Brody Leblanc to score as he circled the net. A little relief for the Highlander parents as the two-goal lead was restored. But the Coyotes were not going to give up as they got back within one a minute later. The atmosphere in the arena was now getting intense as the play was heating up with just two and a half minutes to play. The Coyotes brought the play but the Highlanders stood their ground and forced them out of their end, but the Coyotes kept coming and pulled their goalie in favour of the extra attacker. It paid off when the puck found the back on the net after a mad scramble in the crease with just 43 seconds left. The Highlanders kept going but to no avail as the game would ended in a tie.
This was a great game that had everything; mental toughness, great passes, shots and our share of coming out ahead of those the 1-on1 battles.
However, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot on Sunday, but let’s be proud of these Highlanders. They hit rock bottom but success is now a matter of how high they bounce. These kids are tough and they never give up. With the NHL in a lockout, these kids are now my hockey idols.
Submitted by Chris Prues