Mar 19, 2017 | Richard Leaver | 874 views
Youngs Canada Week Tournament in Goderich
The Saugeen Shores, South Port Optimist, Peewee LL#1 competed in the Young Canada week tournament this weekend. This is the 68th year the tournament has run and is it ever a fantastic event for any peewee team looking to join in the future.
The Storm drew the Goderich Sailor's for their first game, the tournament host team, in game 1 and like most of the other teams entered they played in the Peewee LL South Division so we had no idea what to expect. The coaching staff knew they boys had it in them and encouraged them to stick to the game plan. With some solid defensive play and great goal tending the Storm managed to come out of the first period 1-0. This was a feat since Goderich did not want to get beat in their home town and continued to battle hard. The storm answered the bell, continued to work as a team and managed another marker to make it 2-0 when the buzzer went to signal the end of the second. Going into the third it was a very close game as Goderich was really taking it too them but with some solid defensive play and some great puck movement the Storm held them off the board and the game ended in a 3-0 victory.
Game two was against the Minto Mad Dogs who were also a tough team to compete against. The Storm worked hard and made some great plays and with some good passing and teamwork managed to keep the Mad Dogs at bay. Then with a nifty passing play on a rush the Storm went up by one. This proved to be the only marker in the first and the score was one for 1-0 in favour of the Storm. Early in the second period the Mad Dogs took a bite out of the Storm and found the mesh. This didn't discourage the boys at all as they just grabbed their lunch pails and went back to work. The play continued and was not an easy match but the boys kept at it and with a great rush up ice the Storm netted another and it was 2-1 by the end of the second. The third was a heck of a battle but no team scored as both goalies where perfect in this one. The game ended with a second victory in the tournament for the Storm and the team was pumped.
Seaforth was the Storms next opponent and proved to be a very good one. These two teams went at it hard as right after the opening draw and it was on. The Storm really took it to them in the first working the puck in Seaforths end. Just about the halfway mark we squeaked one past the Seaforth net minder with a great bardown shot. This proved to be the only goal in the first with the Storm leading 1-0. The second started just like the first in a real grind. Seaforth scored early into the second but he storm came back shortly after to make it 2-1. Seaforth netted another just before the halfway mark of the period to make it 2-2 with the score remaining there when the buzzer went to end the period. Before the third the Coach reminded his team they where getting away from their game plan and to tighten up the game. The boys went out and worked hard but with 1:35 left in the third Seaforth scored on a pretty nice passing play and the final was 3-2 for the other guys. Feeling kinda down the boys left Goderich to head home for a good nights rest and to get ready for the morning as the finished 2 overall in the first round behind their arch rivals Shallow Lake.
With four teams remaining the Storm matched up again against Seaforth. The team knew they had a tough one ahead of themselves as Shallow Lake had loss in the game before them. They knew they had to win to get to the Championship game and not have to play Shallow Lake again, a team they had seen all season and playoff in the Maroon North Division. Seaforth got off to a good start up 2-0 by the end of the first. The Storm continued to battle and by the end of the second it was 4-2. The third proved to be the toughest 15 mins and with the storm taking a few penalties allowed the game to get away from them with a 7-3 final. This did not mean the boys were out as now they had to meet Shallow Lake for a Consolation Final.
Shallow Lake Vs The Saugeen Storm, and epic battle that all players and parent/fans know all to well over the years. The two teams had some great regular season games and playoff games against each other this season and everyone was amped up for a great nail bitter. The storm struck first with a beauty play in the Lakers zone and held them off until the dying seconds of the first were it remained 1-1 at the buzzer. The second proved to be much the same with the Storm scoring the advantage near the halfway make of the period but Shallow Lake coming back shortly after to make it a 2-2 draw going into the third. The Storm where confident and pleased with their play as they knew what was on the line. When the puck dropped in the third the Storm went up 2 goals real quick. Shallow Lake as usual never quite and tied it back up at the 11 minute make of the period. The play continued and both teams battled hard and the goalies continued to work the crease. The Storm got the advantage and Marked three more to make it a little more convincing lead than last time. But in true Shallow Lake form, they never gave up and managed to score with 11 seconds left to make the final 7-5. This all came down to a huge third period by both teams but the Storm prevailed with their game plan and playmaking. The consolation championship was awarded by the Lions Club of Goderich and the team celebrated the moment afterwards
A Huge Thank you to the Goderich Lions Club and all the Volunteers that helped make the Young Canada Week a success. The Storm had a great time and with some great competition this was truly a special event.
I just want to take a moment and thank the parents/grandparents and fans for supporting us all year. This team has come a long way from October and I am very proud of them as their Head Coach. Next stop is Maroon Division Finals where The Storm came from behind, finishing 5th overall in regular season, to winning the North Division. We are playing Zurich the winner of the South Division for the Championship starting Wednesday night in Southampton at 7pm.
On behalf of the Peewee LL#1 we would love to hear you come cheer for us.