On
the weekend, the Ayr Peewee AE flames played the next two games of their
regular season.
The first of those two was at home against the Cayuga Stars. Gage Montroy would start in goal for this game. The Flames, coming off a late-night team-bonding event, could have been tired and low on energy, but they were just the opposite. The Flames started with speed, shots on net, and smart play. At 5:18, Jesse Janzen, assisted by John Carpenter, scored the first goal of the game for Ayr. The Flames kept at it, and at 3:49 Josh Loughrin, assisted by Tyson Kaufman, scored to make it 2-0. Cayuga kicked up the urgency level and responded with two goals 9 seconds apart. 2-2 was the score after one period. In the second period, both teams were getting lots of shots, and at 1:40, Scott Hall scored the go-ahead goal directly off a faceoff. The score remained 3-2 after 2 periods. In the third, tensions rose and Cayuga took a few penalties, killing time and risking a goal from Ayr. Ayr did not score on the power play. With just over 2 minutes to play, desperation took over as both teams were looking for their first win. With 50 seconds remaining to play, Cayuga broke out on a breakaway and Montroy came out to challenge. The Cayuga player chose to deke, and got around Montroy. But Montroy didn’t give up, showing the Stars player a perfectly executed poke-check. The Flames hung on for a win, their first of the season. The Flames’ record improves to 1-1-1.
On Sunday, the Flames traveled to Plattsville for a game. Nate Sherk would start in goal for this game. In the first period, the Flames were trying their hardest but were a little flat-footed coming from the excitement of their first win. Neither team scored in the first. In the second period, Ayr began to have more possession in the offensive zone, and at 7:21, Jesse Janzen scored on an unassisted wrap-around. The score was 1-0 for Ayr after two periods of play. In the third, the pressure began to build, and teams were taking penalties. Then at 7:23, Josh Loughrin scored on a wrist shot assisted by Hunter Rickert. 2-0 Ayr. Plattsville put all they had into trying to score a goal, but Nate Sherk was making some miraculous saves using butterfly slides and reflex moves. With 2:50 to play, the Rage broke into the Flames’ zone and took a shot that ricocheted off the crossbar and down. The referee signaled a goal, to the disbelief of the Ayr players, and after the ref chatted with the linesman, the goal stood. Plattsville was back into the game. The Rage then pulled their goalie in an attempt to tie the game, but Tyson Kaufman capitalized on the opportunity and scored an empty-net goal with 55 seconds remaining. 3-1 Ayr. Plattsville did not give up, however, and they scrambled for the puck in the crease. The puck popped loose in the blue paint, and the Rage scored with 26 seconds remaining. It was a Hockey game once more. After another pulled goalie by Plattsville, more scrambling took place in the corner of the Flames’ defensive end. The Rage failed to score, however, and the Flames hung on for their second win of the year! Way to go team!
Written By: Noah Covemaeker