Saturday 18th February saw Willy's Novice LL Tm#2 begin their Tier I playoff round-robin against Saugeen Shores Tm#1 at The Plex in Port Elgin and they got off on the right foot posting a 5 - 0 win.
The shut-out goaltending by Kaden “Krackel” Vance and the scoring of Kaya Hall with four and Spencer Sutter-Lammie with one gave Willy’s the start they were hoping for in their playoff run. Kaya donned the Digger helmet for his two-way performance and Krackel was inspirational in net, coming up with some saves that would have made Tim Thomas proud. At the other end Jack Bennett was making rep goalie stops that were cheered by both teams. All the scoring was done in the first two periods and in the third period the individual skill set by each player and their constant pursuit of the puck prevented the opposition from getting back into the game.
On Sunday 19th February, Willy’s faced Shallow Lake Tm#1 in Southampton which produced the game of the year so far. Shallow Lake behind the stellar goaltending of Ben Redmond and the high scoring Jake Ross were primed. Although the Lakers had two tournament championships under their belt, Willy’s players were ready. Everyone executed what they practiced and held the strong Lakers off for an exciting 3 – 2 win. Whether Kaya Hall shot, deked, or passed to an open teammate alone in front, Redmond was the boss this game. But he couldn’t keep up his mastery and Spencer Sutter-Lammie and Dylan Poulsen produced the needed fire power. Dylan with a goal and an assist and Spencer with two goals and assist, his second marker broke a 2 –2 tie with just two minutes remaining in the game. Spencer’s A-game earned him the Digger Award. With their goalie pulled for the extra attacker, the Lakers swarmed Willy’s zone. The biggest defensive moment was when Cali Drope gained possession of the puck inside her zone and confidently played it out of her end. This was a fun, exciting game to witness. Practice Monday 5pm in South and next round robin game vs Shallow Lake #2 on Wednesday, 6pm in South.