Nov 25, 2014 | Steve Fogarty | 310 views
Tournament Time
The Atom Mustangs had a break from their regular league play with a chance to play in the North Halton Fall Classic. We were scheduled to play three games over the two days and it was a great opportunity for us to get together as a team.
The first game was an early (too early if you ask me) morning contest against the St Catherine's Brock Jr Badgers. It was a close game as both teams had their chances and it was a back and forth game. Unfortunately it didn't go the Mustangs way as we dropped a 2-0 decision. It didn't show on the scoreboard, but the positional play we have been stressing in practice was evident. Of note was the play of Avery that earned her the MVP. Playing defense, she was very strong in our end, playing with her head up and making several excellent break out passes.
Our second game was against the North Halton Orange Crush. North Halton jumped up early with a goal in the first minute of play. That lead stood until 4 minutes to go in the first when Brownie scored to tie it up at 1-1. The second period was scoreless despite several good scoring chances from both sides. Halen stood tall in the Mustang cage kicking out biscuits left and right, earning her the eventual MVP. North Halton scored a minute into the third to retake the lead 2-1. Not to be stopped, the girls put their foot on the gas and kept pressing the attack. AK came in on goal and scored to tie the game up at 2-2. Hungry for the win, the Jumbo Package of Brownie, Dozer and Sara kept the puck in the Halton zone and refused to let it out. With 2:31 remaining Sara buried the eventual game winner to put us up 3-2. Not to be stopped, the Jumbo Package stayed out and Brownie scored again less than a minute later to ice the game at 4-2. Parents and fans I talked to agreed this was our most exciting game all year. We didn't quit, we dug down and played a great game.
Our final game was against the eventual tournament winner Burlington Wildfire. Although we came up short in our final game, it was an excellent opportunity to get three of our first year girls a chance to play center for a period. Peyton, Alicia and Thea all got a chance at the center dot and they all demonstrated how far they have come since starting hockey less than 3 months ago. Alison "Ogre" Collins was the MVP as she played the game with an excellent forecheck from start to finish and is coming into her own up front.
I could not be any prouder of how our team competed on the ice and carried themselves off it. The goals of the weekend was to play some good hockey, get better and most importantly, have fun. I feel the team exceeded all expectations and it was a great weekend. Thanks girls.