Nov 05, 2023 | Stu Wright | 108 views
Tigers Fall Short in Woodstock
The U14A Tigers took on their second tournament of the season, the Woodstock Silverstick Regional, this weekend, hoping to come home with hardware and move on to the international competition later in the year.
Despite their best effort and resilience through tough teams in the Round Robin, the Tigers fell short of their goal, ending the 3-game Round Robin 1-1-0-1, barely missing the cutoff for the Sunday Semi-Finals.
The Tigers first took on the host-team and reigning Silverstick champions, Woodstock, on their first day of competition. A fierce back and forth defensive affair saw the Tigers first taste of Silverstick action head to overtime, where goaltender Matte shut the door on rush after rush holding the game to 1-1 through 3 periods and 4 out of 5 minute of overtime. The Tigers once again ran into penalty trouble late, opening the door for a Woodstock win with only 7 seconds left in overtime, handing the Tigers a difficult first loss of the tournament.
On Saturday the Tigers hoped to bounce back with a big win against St. Mary's, looking down the barrel of a must-win situation to stay alive. Between the loss the day before still troubling the team and penalties once again crippling the Tigers offence, the team came out to their first slow start of the season, going down 2-0 early in the game. In a display of resilience and tenacity, the Tigers battled back throughout the 2nd and 3rd periods, leading Seguin to score the big game winning goal with only minutes left in the 3rd. The Tigers would go on to win the game 3-2 in regulation.
Later on Saturday the Tigers faced Flamborough in a 'winner-takes-all' final Round Robin game, with the winner looking to join Woodstock in the Semi-Finals on Sunday. The game was mostly a stalemate of defence, with only a few chances going both ways throughout. Unfortunately after tying the game 1-1 in the third period, the Tigers gave up a critical defensive break, allowing the Sabres to score and ultimately win the game 2-1. That loss would end the Tigers hope of a Silverstick victory, and now the team must set their sights back on success in the regular season to start climbing the standings.
The Tigers are back at it at the Gale Centre as they take on the Niagara Falls Flyers this Friday at 7pm.