It is with great excitement that we
announce the newest Minor Peewee team for the Grey Bruce Highlanders. After an exhaustive tryout, with players
working toward making the team, playing five days out of six, 18 players came
out on top to make the team.
Returning goaltenders Brian Ferguson and Jacob Fluney will backstop the team again. This tandem’s highlights include a season opener win vs. Burlington, wins vs. top four teams, Guelph, Hamilton and Oakville and each goalie had huge games at the SCTA Championships against 1st place Halton (3-3 tie) and 2nd place Hamilton (3-1 win). Both goaltenders have shown the ability to step up in big games and will be relied heavily upon this year to help the team be successful.
Returning defenseman Grayden McKnight, Sam Solazzo, Hunter MacPherson, Drew Acres and Ryan Farlow have already shown that they can shut down the best teams in the SCTA. The team’s shots against decreased significantly as last season progressed, helping the team gain more success.
Returning forwards, Owen Barfoot, Coen Galbraith, Jackson Walden, Ryan Broderick, Zasha Ortman, Wyatt Thomas, Jax Mertineit and Ian Nurton bring a dynamic group of players that combine good team play, passing, offensive structure as well as players who are willing to play both ends of the ice.
New players to the team, Dillon Atkinson, Brett Curry and Jaxon Boone each bring a unique set of skills to help this team reach even higher levels. Dillon, who played for the 2007 Highlanders team for the past two years possesses a strong offensive upside while ensuring that he takes care of his check, goes to space effectively and shares the puck with efficiency. Brett, who boasts the largest wingspan on the team is a smooth skating dman with a howitzer of a shot. He comes to the Highlanders from Flesherton, highlighting his skills for the Georgian Bay League. Jaxon, a hard working, two-way forward with excellent space awareness honed his skills in Saugeen Shores. He comes off an exceptional year with the Saugeen Shores Atom team in which his team found success winning the Regional Silver Stick and making the finals of the OMHA Championships.
In a tryout game on Thursday, many of these players participated in a game against the Waterloo Wolves, dominating large portions of the game and skating away with a 2-2 tie. After selecting the team on Saturday and going to their fitness assessments, the team completed their long day with a big game vs. the Guelph Gryphons. The team skated hard all game and showed a combination of offensive and defensive strengths winning 8-4.
The team looks forward to another excellent year with improvements coming in all areas of the game.