Mar 21, 2011 | D. Crosetta | 2460 views
The Saugeen Shores Storm Bantam Girls C team (sponsored by Heather's Poodle Care and Allan's Fireside Grill) completed their second round of the OWHA playdowns finishing in first place, which qualified them for the OWHA Provincial tournament in April.
Storm’s opponent for their first game of the round two playdowns was Markdale. This game was expected to be a close physical affair, and the predictions were bang on. Both teams played a very tight checking style of hockey and no goals were scored after two periods. This hard checking play continued into the third period and it looked like neither team would post a goal. However, Markdale finally broke the tie when they put a screened shot past Storm goalie Bryanna ‘Red’ Cobean while on a powerplay. But the always persistent Storm team didn’t fold and eventually tied it back up when Molly Halpin blasted a slapshot towards the net that Zoe Mackintosh tipped in for the goal. That appeared to take the air out of the Markdale team, as Storm followed up with some good scoring chances highlighted by Delaney Brown’s breakaway with ten seconds left in the game. Unfortunately, the Markdale goalie made a great save and the game ended in a 1-1 tie earning Storm a hard fought one point.
Storm’s next playdown game was a road trip to Meaford to play a tough Georgian Shores team. The loser of this game would likely be eliminated for qualifying to the Provincials, so it was understandable that the tension was high both on the benches and in the stands. Storm ran into penalty trouble early in the game including being two girls down at one point, but was able to keep Markdale off the scoreboard. During another lengthy penalty kill, Storm’s Jocelyn Parker scored a terrific short-handed goal to give Storm a 1-0 lead. Storm was able to add to their lead in the third period when Brown snagged a pass from Mackintosh and fired a shot to the top corner of the net making it 2-0 Storm. A determined Markdale team ratcheted up their intensity, and hemmed the Storm team in their own end for the final minutes of the game, but could not beat Storm goalie Bryanna ‘Red’ Cobean. The game ended with Storm winning 2-0, which took Georgian Shores out of the playdown competition and secured a spot at the Provincials for the Storm. Storm’s final playdown game was a forfeited two points against a winless Mildmay team.
The Saugeen Shores Storm Bantam Girls C team finished their season with an outstanding record of 36-7-4, the best in all of SSMHA. The team only allowed 29 goals against in the 47 games played, which included 26 shutout games. The Storm players (Delaney Brown, Sam Harvie, Teila Becker, Jocelyn Parker, Sam Albright, Rayne Crosetta, Zoe Mackintosh, Sabrina Goegan, Emma DeBoer, Kira Bollen, Sydney Liddle, Molly Halpin, and Bryanna Cobean) are all looking forward to the upcoming OWHA Provincials, and are very eager to bring home a medal.