Nov 15, 2016 | dbassi | 1346 views
Sweet to Repeat
The Welland Mike Ford Knapp Novice Tigers ventured up to Orillia were fun times were had as they went undefeated and came home as the Novice A Tournament Champions.
The Tigers opened the tournament up Friday morning against Newmarket. The Tigers got off to a slow start falling behind 1-0 after the first period but came alive in the next two frames outscoring Newmarket 8-0 and cruised to an 8-1 victory. Goal scorers for the Tigers were Lucas with 3 goals and 2 assists, Tanner with two goals and 2 assists, Leo with a goal and 2 helpers, Colby and Brennen with a goal and an assist apiece, while Carson M. had 2 assists and Ashlyn a single helper. Solid goaltending by Evan held Newmarket at a single goal.
Game two was a Saturday morning tilt against a very quick and hard working Barrie team. Again the Tigers fell behind early this time by two goals early in the second. The Tigers then took over the next 15 minutes scoring five unanswered goals before Barrie fought back to make it a one goal game with 4 minutes left to play. Leo dashed any hopes of a Barrie comeback as he scored of the ensuing faceoff to restore the Tigers two goal lead. Solid penalty killing at the end of the game when the Tigers were down 6 against 3 preserved the victory. The Tigers were paced by Leo who finished with a hat trick and an assist. Julian was welcomed back with a goal and 2 assists, Carson M. and Mason chipped in with 1 of each while Lucas contributed 3 assists and Tanner added one.
After the two game round robin portion the Tigers finished first overall and had to wait until Sunday morning to play against a big strong Midland team. Lucas scored in the first minute of the game to provide the start the Tigers needed. From there it was a physical close checking game until late in the second when Carson M. gave the Tigers a little breathing room. Lucas added his second goal of the game to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead early in the third. Midland did not back down and managed to score two goals midway through the third. from there the Tigers d of Hudson, Jared, Carson C., Denton, Jonah, and Ashlyn shut the door and they hung on for a 3-2 victory and another match up against a solid Barrie team.
The rematch against Barrie was another tight game with Lucas scoring a goal in both the first and second period to give the Tigers a 2-0 lead heading into the third period. Barrie came out strong and controlled play for the first 5 minutes but could only manage a single goal while Lucas completed his hat trick and Tanner added another to give the Tigers a 4-1 win. Julian added 2 assists, while Leo and Jared each added a single helper. While great backchecking by Max, Colby, and Brennen ensured a 3:15 trip to the final.
The stage was set for another tournament final against a very good Grimsby team. This game was very much like our first tournament final against Grimsby. The Tigers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first as Tanner scored a beauty off of the rush. The next two periods were a tight checking affair with both goalies making some great saves to keep the game close. Grimsby finally banged home a rebound with 9 minutes left to tie the game at 1. Then with a 1:09 left Tanner was able to sneak one home from a tough angle as Mason and Carson picked up assists to put the Tigers up 2-1. Grimsby pulled their goalie but were not able to establish any pressure as the Tigers prevented them from any opportunities and started to celebrate when the buzzer went.It was a great team effort as the Tigers played 3 games in 7 hours against 3 teams coming into that Sunday a combined 57-10-6. It showed that these young Tigers are up for the challenge and are ready for Fort Erie in early December.