Bright and early on the morning of Saturday, February 2nd, the ATOMc Blue Fireballs took to the ice to meet ATOMc Gold, a team that had been very successful against other teams in the league as of late. History between these two had included two Blue wins (including the Christmas Tournament championship game) and one tie, but Gold had been beating some of their opposition handily in recent games, and they boasted a roster full of skilled players including a stellar goalie, so they were not a team to take lightly!
Due to a couple of missing
players, Carson A. and Tony R. found themselves playing forward positions today. Speaking of forwards, those who took the puck
drop started off the game quickly for the Fireballs, and they applied a great
deal of pressure on Gold right away. In
the first minute of play, Blue had several scoring opportunities due to
heads-up plays from the boys. For
example, Lucas B. nearly put his team up by one, when he skated hard to get to
the puck first and immediately passed it towards the front of the net, where
Jackson M. had acquiring a good scoring position and Jett S. maneuvered around
in the high slot looking for a rebound.
However, strong insight on the part of a Gold defender stopped the
object from reaching its target, and the score remained tied at zero.
In a very positive way, the
period was an aggressive one, with both teams refusing to give in. Players were committed to being first to the puck,
and the exciting hockey being played on the ice was a great wake-up call to any
sleepyheads in the audience. Family and
friends in the crowd cheered for their team, as boys in both Blue and Gold put
on a show, making the day’s early rise worth the sacrifice.
With just over three minutes
remaining in the first period, ATOMc Blue was assessed a minor penalty, and
they found themselves facing an intimidating line of aggressors when the puck
dropped to begin the short-handed shift.
However, ATOMc Gold was surprised when Blue turned the tides of this
power play opportunity and ended up spending much of the following two minutes
in their own defensive zone. However,
although the Fireballs took more shots on their opponent’s net than vice versa,
the Gold goalie stood tall at his post and turned them all away. The first period came to a close with the
score tied at zero.
ATOMc Blue was on fire as they
came out of the gate to begin the second. Riley
D. broke the deadlock, when he received the puck in the neutral zone and broke
down the ice on the right-hand side. He
used his speed to overwhelm the Gold defender and cut sharply towards the crease. With the goaltender hugging the near post
tightly, he wrapped quickly in behind the net and stuffed the puck in the
opposite side before the netminder had time to react. A mere seventy-five seconds into the period,
Blue was ahead 1-0.
However, Gold came back with a
vengeance and tied it up just over one minute later, when one of their players
dumped the puck in from their own side of center and sent several players
chasing after it. One made it to the
puck first as it glided behind the net, and passed it quickly in front to one
of his teammates who put it in the back of the goal to take away the lead that
Blue had briefly possessed.
Both temporary wingers were
digging hard this game, Carson A. on the left wing of his line, and Tony R. on
the right of his. This hard work paid
off for both, but particularly earned one a mark on the score sheet when, four-and-a-half
minutes into the period, a play developed around Gold’s net, starting with
James R. in possession of the puck and ending with a goal. James and Mason D. both got their sticks on
it during a scuffle in front, but the puck popped free to Carson on the open
side, and he shot it past a lunging Gold goalie into the back of the open
net. This great effort, excellent
positioning and patience earned Carson a goal for his stats and gave his team
the lead again.
For the remainder of the period,
the ATOMc Blue players dug in hard and worked as a team to prevent Gold from
tying it up again. Both Matthew M. and Ryan
S. shone, as they aggressively checked whomsoever faced them down. On defence, Michael R. and Josh R. stared
down their opposition head on, as if to say, “You shall not pass!” With their hard work, the area around Luke C.
in net became his own Fortress of Solitude (if the boys don’t get this
reference, they need to watch Superman)!
With this great defensive effort, Blue held Gold at bay, and they led
going into the third frame by a score of 2-1.
The Fireballs were ready to
defend their lead, and their efforts at the end of the second period transferred
smoothly into the third. Mason D. and
Calder W. took their positions on the blue line and stood guard for the first
shift. Each boy’s skating style was
completely different, but both were able to cover a lot of ice in each stride,
allowing them to get to the puck first and clear it out of danger.
Halen R. and Sam Z. contributed
with their excellent play along the boards.
Each player worked hard in both ends and, more often than not, came away
from the fray with the puck in his possession.
However, Gold had turned up
their level of play to attempt to even the score, which they did just over
three minutes into the period with a beautiful wrist shot.
The game winning goal was scored
exactly halfway through the period, and it was a very controversial one from
the perspective of the Fireballs’ coaches.
A Gold player released a high, rising shot from the blue line, which was
tipped and redirected downwards by a teammate whose stick blade was above his
shoulders. Apart from the fact that it
should have been called high-sticking, it was a skillful goal. Although the Blue coaches voiced their thoughts
from the bench concerning this injustice, their words fell on deaf ears, and
Gold was given the lead, 3-2.
Despite the frustration
emanating from the bench, ATOMc Blue continued to play their hearts out. Luke C. was stellar in net, as he prevented
Gold from scoring an insurance marker with a couple of minutes left, when he
made a huge save to stop one of the opposition’s strongest goal scorer’s from
taking advantage of a breakaway opportunity.
All of the Fireballs contributed
in the attempts to even the score as the clock ticked down. Calder W. electrified the stands when he
carried the puck down the open wing for a scoring opportunity. However, Gold's goalie played his position
well, and stood tall to keep his team on top.
When the buzzer sounded, the
Gold team celebrated their victory, but the Fireballs could congratulate each
other on playing their best through difficult circumstances. It had been a tough game, but ATOMc Blue had
kept their heads up and played strongly all game long, and that’s something for
which they could be proud.
Our next game is against ATOMc
White at the Waterloo Rec Centre on Saturday, February 9th at
8:00am. Be ready for a great game! Have a good week, boys!