Jan 11, 2015 | TGodard | 1027 views
Our First Tournament
This past weekend, the Ayr Flames Novice LL1 team travelled to the Brant
Sports Complex in Paris for the Wolfpack tournament. The weekend was
filled with great hockey, close games and a trip to the semi-finals.
First up, 3 round robin games against Paris LL3, Caledonia and Paris LL1. The Flames came away with a solid 2-0 win against Paris LL3, with goaltender J.S. Deacon (AKA Jonathan Quick) notching another shutout under his pads. Deacon was absolutely stellar all weekend and the team could not have made it to the semi's without him. Jackson Wright opened up the scoring in the first period, assisted by Will McLeod and Derick Groot. Carter Cressmen scored the team's second goal, unassisted. Forwards Darko Maldini and Hayden Covemaeker were on fire all game, moving the puck into the offensive zone, taking shots on net, being in position for a rebound opportunity.
The Flames lost a very close game against Caledonia. They opened the scoring in the first period. Ayr outplayed them, with many shots on net that just couldn't get past the goalie. Forward Sullivan Cofell had rockets on his skates, weaving between opposing players with shots hitting the post and goalie. Late in the second period, a shot from Wright secured a goal, assisted by Danik Godard and Benson Dietrich, bringing them tied into the 3rd period. A goal by Caledonia in the last 2 minutes of the game secured their win and the Flames moved on to the next game, needing a win to make it to the semi-finals.
Once again, this team faced off against a tough opponent Paris LL1. Egan McDonald opened up the scoring in the first period, assisted by Benson Dietrich. Shortly thereafter, Wright scored his third goal of the the tournament, assisted by Derick Groot. Deacon Samay was solid on the offensive line, poke checking pucks that were surely leaving the offensive zone to keep players onside. No other goals were scored until late in the 3rd period, when Paris just got one past Deacon. The win solidified a spot in the semi-finals where the Flames met up with Caledonia once again.
Another spectacular game that most parents agree was the best this team has played all year. Heart and soul was left on the ice as they battled to win a spot in the finals. After the first period, the team was down 3-1 with Wright scoring in the first period. Wright kept the dream alive in the second period with another goal, assisted by Grady Brown. McDonald solidified the dream by tying it up with an unassisted goal. With the score tied in the 3rd period, both teams were on the offensive attack, hoping to pot a goal and move on to the finals. The entire team brought their A game and fought with all their might. Unfortunately, Caledonia scored with just over 2 minutes left in the 3rd period. A royal battle for a tying goal was seen on the ice, but alas it was not to be. The defeat was not evident in the change room as the boys celebrated their time at the tournament with gatorade. A few more practices coming up then a game against LL4. See you at the rink!