Some Good Advice From An Old Friend Earns 5, News, Atom, 2012-2013 (Grey-Bruce Highlanders AAA Minor Hockey Association)

This Team is part of the 2012-2013 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Oct 29, 2012 | dblack | 1550 views
Some Good Advice From An Old Friend Earns 5
The Chapman’s Ice Cream Atom Highlanders were ready to put last weekend behind them by battling their way back into the win column.  The coaching staff was fortunate enough to have received some good advice from an old friend.  So armed with this advice the Highlanders were ready for a tough three game battle this weekend.

    Saturday was the trip down the QEW in the pouring rain (hey, sure beats the snow!) for a double header with the tough Niagara Rivermen.  The Gale Center is a great complex, but enough admiring this four-pad arena, let’s get the games started.

    On the drop of the puck the Highlanders took off with a hard forecheck and aggressive pinch.  The pinch paid off early with a great play by Reid Vandolder to hold the offensive zone allowing Brayden Krueger to pick up the loose puck and feed a nice pass to Owen Rahn who made no mistake finding the back of the net for an early 1 goal lead.  The Highlander forecheck continued, however, the Rivermen managed to create a couple of odd man rushes of their own but Caden Prues was there to shut them down and hold the 1 goal lead.  There was no further scoring in the first.  The second period started with more Highlander pressure and several scoring opportunities.  Five minutes into the second the boys were finally rewarded with a power play marker when a Zach Wall point shot was tipped in front by Liam Colhoun and the rebound went right onto the stick of Sam Shakes who banged it home and a 2 goal lead.  A couple of minutes later the Rivermen would get on the board with a rebound of their own.  The second period would end with the Highlander squad clinging again to the 1 goal lead.  The Rivermen started the third on the power play and made quick work of it by working a man into the slot and finding the top corner.  It was now game on!  The Rivermen were hungry and kept up the pressure but the Highlanders defense of Jesse Woods, Zach Wall, Reed Stauffer, Joel Coghlin, Reid Vandolder, Jack Dupont and Eric Black kept them away from the Highlander net and cleared the rebounds when needed.  Now down to the last couple of minutes and it was time for the Highlanders to turn it up.  After several minutes of the third playing short handed the boys were finally rewarded with a power play of their own.  Just into the power play, Eric Black made another great pinch down the boards carrying it in around the net and as he stepped over the goal line turned and took a beautiful wrist shot beating the goalie on the inside of the post with just 1:21 left in the game.  The Highlander crowd went wild!  The Rivermen pulled their goalie but the extra attacker was no match for this Highlander team.  The Highlanders forced it out of their end zone and into Rivermen territory where the puck ended up on a wide open Eric Black’s stick where he made no mistake finding the open net and his second goal of the game.  That was it!  Highlanders took game 1 with a final score of 4-2.

    Off to Betty’s for a team lunch and to re-energize for game two.  A fantastic lunch it was….Betty has some great buns!  The fish was pretty good too.  Will it be enough to give the boys the energy they need for game 2?  Let’s find out.

    Game 2 started right where game 1 left off.  The Highlanders again playing with a hard forecheck and aggressive pinch.  The forwards of Owen Rahn, Sam Shakes, Liam Colhoun, Jaden Goldie, Nathan Naves, Gavin Mikaczo, Brody Leblanc, Alex Crowley and Brayden Krueger put on a forechecking clinic by pinning the Rivermen deep in their end zone for the better part of the first period.  The forecheck paid off 5 minutes into the first when some hard work behind the net by Nathan Naves freed up a loose puck for Jaden Goldie who circled the net and tucked it under the goalie on his backhand.  The Highlanders kept pouring it on and were rewarded for a second time when Gavin Mikaczo one-timed a nice feed from the hard working Jaden Goldie with just 12 seconds remaining in the first.  The Highlanders kept up the hard work in the second and Alex Crowley gave the Highlanders a 3 goal lead when he poked home a rebound off some hard work behind the net by Liam Colhoun and Sam Shakes.  The Highlanders would pretty much dominate the third period and Landon Kinch came up big playing the puck off his head to keep the Rivermen off the board.  The Highlanders took game 2 with a final score of 3-0.

    Let’s hope the boys still had some fight left for Sunday after two hard games and six hours of driving.

    Burlington was in town for the early Sunday afternoon match up.  The first couple of shifts of the game would tell us whether or not the Highlanders still had some fight left in them.  Early on, the boys looked great!  The keys to success on Saturday were evident early on Sunday.  The Highlanders scored first when Brody Leblanc scored on a mad scramble in front of the Eagles net.  This lead would not last, as the Eagles were able to capitalize on a rebound of their own.  The first period would end with a 1-1 tie and the shots even at 7.  Both teams battled through the second and it was Nathan Naves who was set free down the right wing on a great break out pass by Jaden Goldie who then fired a high wrister to the top shelf.  Later in the second the Eagles would swarm the Highlanders end zone and eventually put one in to tie the game at 2.  The Highlanders continued to create some great scoring chances but could not find the back of the net.  The second period would end with a 2-2 tie and the Highlanders with the edge on shots on goal.  The effect of the long weekend started to take its toll on the boys as in the third Burlington turned up the pressure and the Highlanders went into survival mode.  The Eagles continued to swarm the net but Caden Prues turned them away.  The Highlanders took two penalties in the last six minutes of the game but managed to fight off the Eagles and cling onto the tie.  Final score was 2-2 and the Eagles with the edge on shots on goal.

    A 5 point weekend!  Great job boys.  Keep up that hard forecheck and aggressive pinch.  You continue to make us all proud with your tireless efforts and never give up attitude.

Submitted by Chris Prues

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