Nov 26, 2013 | Rob Lee | 1450 views
SOME GOOD, SOME BAD, SOME SISTER KISSERS!
The last four contests for the First Concrete Ltd. Bantams have provided some mixed results as they look to put it all together.
On November 16th the Oakville Rangers travelled to Chesley to face our own Highlander Bantams. Motivated by a history of frustrating close losses to the Rangers, the Highlanders started the game with a determined and tight checking effort from the drop of the puck. Tight defense and timely goaltending resulted in a grinding win with unassisted goals by Noah Johnson and Jordan Taylor. The Rangers answered to tighten the game and attempted to use their physicality to gain an advantage. The Highlanders, however, answered tit for tat and added a goal of their own as Troy Weber fed Josh Urbshott to put the game away for a 3-1 win. Strong defensive play from Urbshott, Brendan Clayton, Logan Swanton, Noah Solinger, Bradyn Thompson, and Danny Skinner, not to mention goaltender Cam Plante were pivotal for the team success.
Unfortunately, the positive reinforcement of their big win was lost on the boys as they traveled to Burlington. A disappointing all around effort led to a 3 -0 loss to the lowly Burlington Eagles.
With recent events to feel both good about and with motivation to rebound, the boys got a chance to rebound this past weekend with two home dates against the Burlington Eagles and Guelph Gryphons. Saturday the Eagles wanted to show that their recent win was no fluke and the Highlanders had something to prove. Jake Lee got the home side on board with an unassisted drive to the net but the team trailed 2-1 after the first period. In the second Mike Fiegehen scored on a spin around move in the slot with assists from Urbshott and Rickerby. The third period saw the teams trade goals to have the game end in a "sister kisser" tie. Damien Sutton banged in a rebound from the slot from Noah Johnson and Danny Skinner. Despite a strong edge in shots on goal, the Highlanders were unable to translate the effort into a win and left the rink with the glass half full.
Sunday was another day and the First Concrete Ltd. Bantams were scheduled to face the tough Guelph Gryphons in Markdale. From the outset the Highlanders seemed to be on their heels as the Gryphons demonstrated crisp passing and an insistence to win the one on one battles. Despite the 2 on 1's given up the Highlanders were down only one after two periods thanks to the strong play of Ryan Winter in goal. With a chance to regroup in the third and gain a point or two with a strong period, the Highlanders found themselves on the short end of a 5 on 3 due to two questionable calls. The Gryphons were not going to squander the opportunity and capitalized to go up 2-0. This seemed to slightly inspire the home side and they put together a strong surge near the end of the game. Some strong corner work from the line of Zach Tupker, Noah Johnson, and Jakob Lee led to a flurry of chances and finally a goal from Tupker with assists to Johsnson and Lee. That was as close as the boys could get as they gave up an empty net goal for a 3-1 loss.