Midget Reps OUST Hanover...a CLEAN Sweep !!
First off, my apologies to everyone for not writing before this. It's not that there hasn't been anything to write about, it's just been a matter of TIME management...I think I'm better at TEAM management....OK, OK, onto the article....
How about those Midget Reps, eh ??
During the regular season, we've played Hanover FOUR times, haven't won once, but coming close with a 2 - 1 loss in the Silverstick. We've come a LONG way since then.
Somehow we lucked out, and drew Hanover in the first round of OMHA playdowns...Hanover, can you believe that....
We decided on best three out of five series, with Hanover winning home ice advantage.
The first game was played in Mt Forest on Wednesday January 13th. Kind of a chippy affair with PLENTY of penalties for both teams, and following a flurry of Mt Forest scoring one goal, and Hanover the next, Mt Forest emerged victorious 4 to 3 - YES !!
The second game was played in the hospitable confines of the Ayton arena...do you know how COLD that place is....Again, a chippy affair, with Dylan (Dougie) Hoffman rising to the challenge with a 4 point night (3 goals and 1 assist), leading Mt Forest to a convincing 5 - 2 win over a reeling Hanover. Whew, maybe we should have went for a two out of three series.
Game three, played on a mild January 24th in Ayton...that arena is still COLD, but it got a lot CLEANER...more on that later. The pre-game lecture centered around DISCIPLINE !!
Hanover was able to get their Captain back following a two game suspension, AND was able to draw on a downgraded Junior C Baron reject. Hanover jumped out to a QUICK 2 zip lead over a quiet Mt Forest team. However, following some line matching, the superb goaltending of rookie Brad Cormack, HARD work by every player, AND discipline, Mt Forest tied the game at 2 at the end of the second period on goals by a re-invigorated Burke Cameron, and steady number 10, Matt, er Jake, Bulley (sorry Jake, had to get that in there).
OK, onto the third. Early in the third, another show by Burke(a 3 point night, 2 goals and an assist) and his sidekick Jake, put us up by a goal to stay. Brad Cormack kept us in with some absolute gem stops with the paddle of his ever widening goal stick !! With just a little less than 8 minutes left in the game, some youngster, some recent call-up, somebody with an OLDER brother on the team, somebody by the name of Ian Bridgwater(did you notice the no "e" Derek), scored a perfect goal to put the game forever out of reach. It was at this time that many in the pro Mt Forest crowd left to fetch brooms, as there was some dirty Falcons that needed to be cleaned up....
Yes, Hanover did bring it back to within one just 21 seconds after Ian's goal, but the die was cast my friends, Mt Forest was NOT giving up, NOT this night, NOT EVER !! Hanover did NOT play DISCIPLINED.....
Don"t EVER give up gents..some of Canada's finest are off to the Olympics, Mt Forest's FINEST are off to the next step in the OMHA playdonws....keep it going gents !!
BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR EXAMS !!
