Oct 15, 2013 | Rob Lee | 1527 views
COCK A DOODLE DOO!!! Time to wake up!
The First Concrete Ltd Bantams travelled to the Markham Majors Fall Classic on the weekend and received a big wake up call in the first game!
The Highlander Bantams snoozed into a late matchup with the host Markham Majors on Friday night dreaming of victory. Unfortunately, the boys hit the snooze button and the wake up call was a 9-3 drubbing. Zach Tupker scored two in the game with assists going to Ben Tupker and Damian Sutton on both goals. Noah Johnson added the other on a power play, assisted by Jakob Lee and Will Rickerby.
Sometimes a good beating can serve as a wake up call and this was one of those turnaround moments for our team.
The First Concrete Bantams played with a renewed commitment to defense and an increased level of pride to finish off the tournament. They were able to hold the Hamburg Hawks to just three shots in a 2 - 0 win. Jordan Taylor connected from Ben Tupker and a hard low Bradyn Thompson shot from the point. Cameron Plante celebrated the shut out when the team woke him up!
The next challenge came in the form of the always tough and eventual tournament champs, Ajax-Pickering Raiders. Shots and chances were even and the Highlanders came to play led by the gritty play of Brenden Clayton and the rest of the defensive squad. The Highlanders fell 3 - 0 with an empty net goal in what may have been their best game of the young season.
A Sunday morning contest with the Waterloo Wolves would answer the question of whether the tenacious play of the Highlanders would be short lived. With pride on the line and a chance to go 2 -2 in the tournament, the Highlanders again showed their grit. With Damian Sutton tipping in another hard Bradyn Thompson point shot with the other assist going to Zach Tupker, the bantams jumped out to an early lead. They added to it moments later as BenTupker scored on a long wrist shot with assists to Zach Tupker and Danny Skinner. Again, Cameron Plante and the defensive play of Clayton, Thompson, Logan Swanton, Noah Solinger, Josh Urbshott, and Danny Skinner answered the call with tough blueline play.
The First Concrete Ltd. Bantams were not done for the weekend though. A scheduling oddity forced the boys to play on Thanksgiving Monday in the lovely city of Brampton! With tired legs and a long weekend behind them, prospects for a strong battle against the first place Brampton team did not seem likely. Compounding the fact was the untimely appearance of the Lucknow Clapper. Not to be tamed nor trusted, the Clapper took out starting goalie Ryan Winter in warmup. Shaken but not seriously injured, Winter gave way to Cam Plante and he stood tall. Once again however, the offense was not equal to the defensive efforts and the boys ultimately dropped a hard fought 3 - 0 decision.
Up next...rest, recovery, and practice as the boys look ahead to their upcoming league play againt the Souther Tier Admirals.