The 2008-09 Pee Wee Reps took to the ice in their first regular season game against Wingham at the Ironmen's home ice.
The 2008-09 Pee Wee Reps took to the ice in their first regular season game against Wingham at the Ironmen's home ice.
It was a strong offensive game for Mount Forest, who managed to keep the puck in the Ironmen's end for most of the first period. Brett Doney worked the blue line well, feeding the puck in for attacks for his forwards. Centre John Bowden flew from end to end, covering the ice to set up attacks on the Ironmen pipes along with Maccaulay Hall and Jack Francis.
This drive paid off with 28 seconds left in the first period when a scramble at the front of the net resulted in Francis cashing a chip from Nolan Officer.
The Rams charged into the second with an impressive goal credited to Bowden, and assist to Francis. The Ironmen retaliated with a messy scramble in the Mount Forest end to score on Ram netminder Dylan Laprade. The Rams forwards were relentless and took it back to the home zone where Connor Kerr gave an impressive display of scoring on an end to end breakaway to move the score to 3-1. It was then Officer's turn to get the fans shouting with a breakaway of his own.
The Ironmen turned up the heat and tested Bretton Peter, who relieved Laprade midway through the second frame. The hosts were frustrated as breakaways and rebounds were diffused. Doney continued to mess up Wingham's strategies.
In the third, Officer repeated his damage at the Wingham net, with assists to Willson Fisher and Connor Kerr. Nathan Reeves dug hard in the corners to set up shots on net, while in the Rams end Cody Stewart and Owen Milne wer a solid team. The hosts logged two more goals, both in skirmishs in front of of the net. The final goal for Mount Forest was Officer's hat trick with an assist to Nathan Reeves. The Ironmen were not going quietly and during a power play, managed to push the puck over a downed Peter for a 6-4 final.
MOUNT FOREST HOSTS MINTO
The home opener for the Pee Wee Rams saw the squad host the Minto Icedogs.
Bretton Peter started well between the pipes with a solid glove save, while the offensive lines prepared their attacks. Nolan Officer had a daring shot that motivated the team, but also spurred the Icedogs. Winger Connor Kerr got this opponent's attention with a well placed shoulder. Minto bit first with a sharp pass from behind the net, and deflected sharply through the crease. A second followed to give a solid lead for the visiting team. Cody Stewart was key in clearing the zone as the Icedogs appeared to build in strength.
Minto continued to dominate in the second period, however, Officer was a repeated annoyance for the Icedog cager. Peter suffered a frustrating blow when the third goal was scored, but the team continued to persevere as Kerr made his presence known. Jack Francis and Maverick Holliday teamed up to fire in the visitor end but were denied. Willson Fisher was the picture of determination as he fought off two Dogs on his way to the pipes. Officer was robbed of a solid scoring opportunity as the rubber loudly deflected, as was the Ram's spirits as the game wore on. The guests ended the second period with a 5-0 lead after Dylan Laprade stepped in to finish the frame.
The Icedogs stung again within seconds of the faceoff, and while the forwards were attempting to get into the visitor zone, they were frustrated in their efforts. Macauley Hall worked wonders in the corners while Officer continued to target the twine. Two quick goals on Laprade moved the score to 8-0. As the clock wound down, the team became more agitated and it failed to show the same determination it did in the first contest.
Within the last minutes a surge from John Bowden, Fisher and Hall gave fans reason to hope there might be a breakthrough, along with impressive stick work from Jack Francis and Holliday. Milne single-handedly difused a three-man rush, but even these impressive efforts couldn't get the Rams on the board and they went away with the first loss of the season.
The Pee Wee Rep Rams include: Connor Kerr, Nathan Reeves, Nolan Officer, John Bowden, Brett Doney, Jack Francis, Connor Reeves, Owen Milne, Cody Stewart, Maverick Holliday, Macauley Hall, Willson Fisher, Dylan Laprade and Bretton Peter, with Head Coach David Graham, Assistants Ryan Hill, Kyle Graham, Steve Chambers, Evan Shortreed and Nick MacRobbie.