WATER WATER WATER, BLUE BLUE BLUE!: Round Robin Game #3 vs. Cambridge Flyers
The ATOMc Blue Fireballs’ final round robin game of the tournament was scheduled to take place against the Cambridge Flyers at the Western Fair Sports Centre. The game would be played on the Harvey’s Rink, a larger ice surface than the Fireballs were used to, having played both of the previous day’s matches at Stronach Arena. Although the rumours spreading around were true, and the Flyers were coming into this game with two wins under their belt with eleven goals for and only two against, ATOMc Blue was ready for anything that came off the Home bench to face them!
The Fireballs were chomping at
the bit as the Zamboni concluded its laps of the ice surface. The anticipation in the locker room was
palpable, and the players’ minds were set on dousing the Flyers in their
intense orange jerseys with Waterloo’s own cool blue.
As the puck hit the ice to start
the game, it became very clear that both teams had come out to win, as all
players on the ice skated feverishly to get to the puck first. The forward line starting the game for Blue
consisted of Lucas B., Jackson M. and Jett S., and they aggressively drove the
Orange team back into their own zone.
However, Cambridge soon gained possession of the puck and reversed the
direction of this trend, moving the play back down the ice into the Fireballs’
own defensive end. This repetitive
motion seemed to characterize the first period, with both teams carrying the
puck well and back-checking effectively.
The defensive line of Tony R.
and Calder W. had begun the game on Waterloo’s blue line, and they were quickly
forced to show their strength and tenacity to defend against the Orange
onslaught. On example of the strong
teamwork between the two came immediately when, on the game’s first shift,
Calder used his time-tested and proven technique of challenging an opposing
player head on and refusing to give up until the puck was in Blue’s
possession. This initial attack resulted
in the puck popping loose and ending up on Tony’s stick, and he muscled his way
through opposing players before moving it up the boards to Lucas B. at the
point. Aware of the Flyers defenceman
moving towards him from the line, Lucas expertly deflected the puck off the
boards into the neutral zone, where Jett S. picked it up and carried it
smoothly into the Cambridge end for a shot.
The goalie saved the attempt, and directed the puck off to the corner
and away from Jackson M., who was poised and ready for a rebound. Although this trip up the ice did not result
in a Blue goal, it was a great example of the teamwork that would be shown by
the Fireballs throughout the entire game to come.
Both teams showed great effort
and skill as play continued, but it wasn’t until the final two and a half
minutes of the period that the scoreless deadlock was broken. The play was started by Carson A., as he
broke up a play behind Luke C. in net and moved the puck up the boards to
Matthew M., who instinctively back-handed the puck off the boards and around
the Cambridge defender to Riley D. Riley
carried the puck swiftly into the opposing team’s zone, deftly deked around
their goalie and shot the puck neatly into the back of their net. At the end of the period, this one goal
remained the only point on the scoreboard, giving Waterloo the advantage going
into the second.
The next period was offensively
stunning for the Fireballs, with many scoring opportunities for the Boys in
Blue, many coming in the form of breakaways.
One of the first of these attempts began deep in the defensive zone,
with Josh R. using his strong wrist shot to clear the puck around the boards
and past the blue line, where Riley D. was just looping around to take another
run at the opposing team’s net. He
wisely chose to travel close to the boards, using his speed to outskate the
Orange defenders before cutting hard to the middle before backhanding the puck
on net. Despite these great efforts, the
puck rang loudly off the post and was cleared quickly by a Flyer before Lucas B.
could get to it for a rebound.
Although many of these chances
started deep in the Fireballs’ defensive zone, one attempt just passed the
mid-way point in the period began very differently. While killing off a penalty, Jett S. blocked
a shot from the point and chased the puck as it slid past the shocked Cambridge
defencemen into the neutral zone. He
sped towards the opposing goalie who had skated out to cut down the angle and,
despite letting go a great shot, the puck was skillfully stopped by the Orange
netminder.
Although these many scoring
chances displayed how effective the Cambridge goaltender was at doing his job,
they also represented the Fireballs’ excellent effort and strong positional
play. On another occasion, Mason D. kept
a lengthy offensive opportunity going by stopping the puck at the blue line
and, after taking a brief look for a pass, releasing a strong wrist shot
towards the net. Although it didn’t make
it all the way through the thick crowd of Orange players in front of the
crease, the ever-dangerous line of Halen R., James R. and Sam Z. was perfectly
positioned to bang away at the loose puck, forcing the goalie to cover it and
end the attack. Although the period
ended with the score remaining 1-0, it took a great effort by all of the
Cambridge Flyers and their goalie, in particular, to avoid falling further
behind the surging Fireballs.
Between the second and third
periods, the Flyers took a few seconds to gather themselves, and they came out
looking more like the team that had presented themselves during the first
frame. The puck made its way back and
forth, from one end of the ice to the other, due largely to the digging and
grinding of those in the middle. For
example, when on the ice, Matthew M. proved how efficient he was at clearing
the puck out of the Fireballs defensive zone, presenting his insight and
awareness of the opposing players swarming around him in doing so. In addition, both Jackson M. and Ryan S.
proved particularly effective in the neutral zone, as they both, in turn,
worked their hardest to carry the puck through several Orange players before
either passing it off to a teammate or dumping it into the zone to set up for
an offensive attack.
Although the Fireballs played
smart, defensive hockey throughout the period, there were a number of offensive
chances, including one that both surprised the Cambridge netminder and exciting
the Waterloo fans. During one play in
the offensive zone, the puck found its way out to Michael R. at the blue
line. Without pausing to stop the puck,
Michael released a one-timed laser through a forest of skates and legs, and it
was only the goaltender’s quick reaction-time that prevented his team from
falling two goals behind.
As the clock ticked towards
zero, the Cambridge Flyers applied more offensive pressure, and Luke C., not
for the first time this game, was put to the test. He continued to stand tall in net through it
all, using every piece of equipment – pads, blocker, glove – and every part of
his body – including his head – to keep the puck from crossing the goal line. When the final buzzer sounded, the entire
team’s efforts earned them a 1-0 victory, and they all celebrated together
around Luke in net.
For his great effort and the
shutout that came as a result, Luke C. received the Player of the Game award in
the locker room, much to the cheers and approval of his teammates. This victory earned the ATOMc Blue Fireballs
first place in their division going into the semi-finals; now the boys would
just have to wait to see who they would be playing later that afternoon. Their efforts had earned them a lengthy break
before the next game, a break during which their coaches would advise them to
rest and leave their parents to do the same!
Great game, boys! The next one will take place at 5:00 this
afternoon against whichever team finishes fourth in the tournament’s Major Atom
division. Make sure you’ve got lots of
energy left when game time arrives, because each one is a must-win situation
from now on!