By Rachel Williams
In
a game that kept the fans on the edge of their seats until the final buzzer,
the Dunlop Fuels and Rintouls Pool and Spas Atom girls played their best game
of the season Friday netting a 2-2 tie against the Blyth Bulldogs.
Strong defence and steady goaltending kept Blyth off the scoreboard in the first. Goalie Tiffany Kewageshig was tested early, first making a great stick save just over a minute into the game and again on a breakaway attempt at the 7 minute mark.
Meanwhile, defensive pairing Jamie Miller and Marley Scott were winning battles along the boards and clearing the puck from their own end. Rachel Kelly and Janelle Fowler worked the blue line to keep the puck in the offensive zone giving the forwards scoring chances.
The Storm’s hard work paid off when, with just under 2 minutes remaining in the first, Eve Martin picked up a pass from Sasha Morano, slipped past the Blyth defence and blasted the puck into the net to give Saugeen Shores the lead by one.
In the second, both teams exchanged chances. Halfway through the period forward Tori Sutter-Lammie pounced on a puck in the neutral zone and stormed down the ice taking a quick shot on net. Trailing the play, Carly Acton attempted to tap in the rebound forcing the Blyth goalie to make another big save.
Teena-Marie Ritchie showed a lot of hustle in the second, as did defence Lauren MacDonald and Ainsley Harron who made some nice stick checks to strip the puck from the breaking Blyth forwards. Despite solid second period play, both teams were held scoreless.
Alyssa Trumbley was in net for an action packed third period. From the puck drop, forward line Morano, Sutter-Lammie and Drew Besito outworked the Blyth players producing multiple scoring chances, but couldn’t quite put the puck in the net. Kaitlin Ferguson and Amber Hou skated hard, chasing down loose pucks while Victoria Matheson blocked passes with strong stick work.
At the other end of the ice, Blyth continued to apply pressure in the Saugeen Shores zone. With just under ten minutes remaining, they managed to slip the puck past Trumbley to even the game.
The excitement continued to build in the third with two breakaway attempts by Saugeen Shores. First Tori Janes broke free firing a quick shot on net. A few minutes later, Fowler took the puck end-to-end launching the puck at the Blyth goalie who made a big stick save.
Pressure by the Storm paid off when with less than two minutes remaining, Eve Martin, assisted by line mate Morano, slipped the puck between the Blyth goalie’s stick and the post to regain the lead.
Blyth never gave up. A scramble in front of the Saugeen Shores net resulted in a loose puck in the crease that was scooped out of danger by Janes before it could cross the red line. However, with around a minute remaining in the game, Blyth pulled their goalie to give them the extra skater. This strategy paid off. With seconds left in the third, Blyth managed to score one last goal to tie the game two apiece.
The two-all tie against Blyth was the Atom girls’ best showing of the season. Storm coaching staff awarded Player of the Game to Victoria Matheson.
On Saturday, Saugeen Shores faced a strong Markdale team in Markdale. The girls fought hard but were outplayed by the host team 5-0.
The Dunlop Fuels and Rintouls Pool and Spas Atom girls play their next game on Sunday November 14th at the Plex against Georgian Shores.