Dec 19, 2013 | Rob Lee | 1628 views
SLUMP BUSTED IN WATERLOO GOLD PUCK
The First Concrete Ltd. Highlanders broke out of their recent slump with a strong showing in the Waterloo Gold Puck tournament this past weekend.
The boys began their tournament with a tough contest against the Lampton Jr. Sting. The Highlanders promptly removed the sting as Damien Sutton scored on a rebound from a Brendan Clayton point shot. Jakob Lee was able to add to the lead with a short handed breakaway and also assisted on Noah Johnsons game winner. The Highlanders were pressed late but emerged with a 3-2 win.
The second contest pitted the Bantams against the Redford Kings in a must win game to keep them in contention for Sunday play. The Highlanders dominated from start to finish. Sutton continued his hot streak with 2 goals with assists to Lee, Clayton, Johnson, and Michael Fiegehen. Dalton Black and Danny Skinner rounded out the scoring and the Highlanders emerged with a 4-1 win to move to 2 and 0 on the tournament.
Game three saw the First Concrete Bantams face the tough Mississauga Reps. In a grinding, tight checking contest the Highlanders fell 2-0 as they were unable to take advantage of the strong goaltending of Ryan Winters and produce any offense of their own.
The final game of the round robin was a pivotal contest. Win or tie and the Highlanders would move on to the semi-final while a loss to the archrival Huron Perth Lakers would send the boys home in a snow storm. Dalton Black gave the Highlanders a head start with assists to Fiegehen and Jordan Taylor but a power play goal by Huron Perth evened things up at 1. As the game wore on Cameron Plante slammed the door for the Bantams in net with help from the defensive corps and the Lakers seemed demoralized by their inability to score. The Highlanders, on the other hand, seemed to gain momentum as the game wore on. Their forecheck stymied the Lakers and the boys generated a number of chances off the turnovers but were unable to solve the Laker goaltender. The game ended in a 1-1 tie...good enough for the Highlanders to advance to the tournament semi-final where they would fall to the eventual tournament champion Toronto Jr. Canadians.
Overall a great result which should provide some momentum for the First Concrete Ltd. Bantams as they head to Buffalo for a double header in their last action before Christmas.