Hawks Thunderstruck By Fireballs!: Round Robin Game #2 vs. Meadowvale Hawks
The ATOMc Blue Fireballs’ second round robin game of the Neil Barker Thunder Classic Tournament took place at 2:30, a mere four hours after the first game had ended. This match pitted the Fireballs against the Meadowvale Hawks, another team whose regular season record was unknown prior to the tournament. According to coaches, the Hawks had been involved in numerous spirited games with Port Credit 52, potentially even resulting in some bad blood forming between the two!
Fuelled by their exciting win a
few hours before, the Fireballs hit the ice with energy and poise. Right off the first face off, Jett S. nearly
put his team ahead with a strong break towards the net and a shot that was
turned away by the Meadowvale goalie who came ready to play.
The first period went by in a
blur, with opportunities at both ends of the ice. Luke C. made some brilliant saves to help
maintain the current score, while the Fireballs’ offence attempted to take the
lead. In one of the game’s highlights, Lucas
B. started a great play that almost resulted in a goal, as he carried the puck
smoothly across the Meadowvale blue line and placed it perfectly on Riley D.’s
stick with a beautiful pass. Riley’s
shot on net was diverted expertly by the goalie, and Jackson M. artfully picked
up the rebound, but his shot was blocked and sent to the corner by the Hawks’
netminder.
Because Mason D. was absent for
this game, the Fireballs played with five defenders, and they all showed how
strong they were as a team by effectively pairing together in unfamiliar
couplings and continuing to defend their team’s end just as successfully as
usual. Michael R. and Josh R. had
started the game on the blue line, and they continued to act like a brick wall
which the opposition could not break through all game.
The second period began in a very
similar fashion as the first, when Sam Z. beat a Hawks’ defenceman into the
corner and passed it neatly to the front of the net for a good scoring
opportunity. However, the Fireballs
didn’t have to wait long before obtaining the lead. After Matthew M. played the puck beautifully
off the boards and around a Meadowvale defender into the neutral zone, Riley D.
picked it up and swooped into the offensive zone. He beat one Hawk on the outside and cut in
sharply towards the net, where he slid the puck neatly between the goaltender’s
pads and into the net. 1-0 for the ATOMc
Blue Fireballs!
Less than a minutes later, and
during the same shift on which the previous goal had been scored, Riley nearly
gave his team a two goal lead. Tony R.
cleared the puck effectively up the boards and out of his team’s defensive zone
to a waiting Riley, who carried the puck into the Meadowvale end and seemingly
slipped it past the goalie. However, the
referees saw something that those on the bench could not, and the attempt was
ruled “no goal,” leaving the score 1-0 for the time being.
The Fireballs made up for this
missed opportunity less than two minutes later, as a scuffle ensued in front of
the Hawks’ net. Sam Z. and Halen R.
never gave up, as they banged away at the puck, which eventually slid into the
net to give ATOMc Blue a two goal lead.
Sam was credited with the goal while Halen received the equally
important assist.
As the clock continued to count
down the remainder of the period, both teams challenged each other
aggressively, with numerous injury breaks coming as the result. All of the Fireballs shone as they did what
they needed to do to keep their team ahead.
Ryan S. was particularly effective in the neutral zone, and he picked
the puck up at the blue line and, through will and effort, moved it into the
Meadowvale zone, often creating scoring opportunities in doing so. On defence, Carson A. continued to play the
game his way, using his long reach to poke-check incoming players dressed in
Black, and also sacrificing his body by blocking shots in front of Luke C. in
net.
In what seemed to be becoming a
positive trend for the Blue Fireballs, a scoring opportunity followed close
behind the third period’s initial puck drop.
Calder W., as he had been doing all season, checked a Black player
relentlessly but cleanly, stripping him of the puck and clearing it out beyond
the blue line to Jett S. Jett sped down
the ice and unleashed a rising wrist shot as he approached the Meadowvale net
and, while the puck beat the netminder, it dinged off the crossbar, much to the
Hawks’ relief.
On the return play, Meadowvale
cut the Fireballs’ lead in half as one of their players lifted to puck into the
net over a sprawling Luke C. who had made two beautiful saves on the first two
shots. In response, Blue only turned up
the tempo of the game even more.
The Fireballs finally put the
game out of reach three minutes after the Hawks’ goal when Lucas B. made an
excellent effort to keep the puck in Meadowvale’s zone and quickly passed if
off to Jackson M. who put it neatly on
James R.’s stick. James’s shot sailed
past the goalie and into the net, giving ATOMc Blue a 3-1 lead.
At this point, the game plan
became primarily defensive, and every member of the team in Blue contributed
their best efforts to maintain the current score for the win. One of the highlights in the final five
minutes of the game came when a Meadowvale player took a beautiful shot on net
only to be met by Luke C.’s smooth and timely kick save. When the buzzer sounded, the Fireballs
celebrated their second victory of the tournament against a team of very worthy
opponents.
Following the game, Jett S. was
awarded the Player of the Game award for his strong two-way play, both charging
forward on offence and getting back quickly to help with back-checking. Players changed quickly and departed Stronach
Arena with their families, making their ways back to the hotel and then to
Crabby Joe’s for a 4:00 dinner reservation.
This was followed by an evening of swimming in the hotel pool and lots
of fun, as parents, players and siblings alike enjoyed each other’s company.
The final game of the round robin
will be played at 8:30am Saturday morning against the Cambridge Flyers at the
Western Fairgrounds Sports Complex. This
game will determine who will go on to the semi-finals as well as whom their
competition will be. The team from Cambridge
is first place in their own league, boys, so be ready for a tough game! Great job today!