The atom select boys opened up
the 2019 year with a game against a team unknown to them, the Lawfield Thunder
from the Steel city of Hamilton. With the lines were changed up once again, how were
the Wolves going to respond with their new linemates and against a new opponent………………….
Both teams started the game rather cautious and were not trying to many risky plays and the tempo seemed to be nice and competitive. There were some glimmers of potential great plays that the new lines seemed to be trying. At the end of one it was tied at zero, the message given at the bench was to pressure them more in their zone, and keep things simple.
Onto the second we go and how were the boys going to respond, there were some fantastic passing from the boys that almost made the back of the net. We kept reminding them to continue these passes and continue shooting on net – good things will happen. At the 8:45 mark of the second we had Callum Barton - a previously positioned defenceman playing forward take a shot on net, the goalie did get a piece of it but not enough, 1-0 for the wolves. The pressure in the second was intense right until the buzzer, off to the 3rd with the Wolves up 1-0.
The message between periods was to bring the intensity, do not quit on any shift and do not let them have the puck. The Thunder was not going to go away without a fight this was very evident. The passing continued and the new lines seemed to be working better as the game played on. At the 9:50 mark of the period Kaden Harris sniped the puck past their goalie from a great pass from Callum Stratford, beauty goal gents – 2-0 Wolves. The Thunder kept rolling and did have some opportunities that they could not capitalize on. The finally did get one past us at the 8:09 mark of the third on an extra long shift that our boys just could not clear the puck. The teams were showing great compete and the finish was going to be exciting. At 2:45 Alton Witt received yet another great pass from Callum Stratford and was able to get the puck past the goalie – Wolves up 3-1. The Thunder pulled their goalie to add the extra attacker, they almost potted another goal, but to know avail. The boys were struggling at trying to get the puck out of the zone in the final minutes, the final buzzer could not come soon enough. Game over – Wolves win 3-1.
Overall a good game considering the lines were changed once again, we do have a little break until our next game so it was good to get another win as we prepare for the Scarborough tourney Feb 7-10.
On a final note -- good luck to the select players who are competing in house league tournaments this weekend – remember to play hard and help lead your teams to victory.
See you at the rink
Coach Jeff