It might have been the festive season, or the promise of a New Year, but the Pee Wee Reps had a strong finish in 2008.
The Mount Forest Pee Wee Rams enjoyed a two game turnaround with the Hanover Falcons with each squad taking a win.
The first frame moved quickly with play taking place in both ends. It was the hosting Falcons that took the advantage, besting cager Bretton Peter with only three minutes remaining. In spite of the goal, Nathan Reeves, Macauley Hall and Nolan Officer were a force to be reckoned with at the Hanover end. Maverick Holliday and Willson Fisher worked the rubber at the Falcons' crease right until the final minute of the period.
The Falcons came out strong in the second frame, rushing the Rams end and scoring within the first minute of play. This galvanized the Mount Forest defense, as John Bowden utilized his back check to defuse additional rushes. Connor Reeves was key in feeding the puck forward from the blue line. Hanover's defense made it tough on Holliday who went three on one without success. Doney was key in intercepting a serious attack but otherwise, the Rams seemed to struggle in the middle frame. Inspite of a solid poke check, Peter was bested on a rush, allowing the Falcons to post a 3-0 lead. Fisher, Holliday and Francis then provided rapid-fire action and were frustrated in their efforts. Peter then rallied and provided two strong saves to keep the Rams in the game. Connor Kerr then went end to end in a thrilling rush to top drawer his goal and put the Rams on the board.
Realizing there was a chance for their guests to rally, Hanover became more physical, and the Rams complied. Doney administered a solid mid-ice check that sent a winger flying and succeeded in sending a message to the rest of the line. Unfortunately, the Rams were on the short end of a couple of penalties, leaving the squad in a five on three situation.
In the top of the third, the Rams were at half strength when the Falcons notched their fourth marker, inspite of a previous glove save and poke check by Peter. Holliday once again made an attempt with Officer and launched an attack on the Hanover end. Owen Milne messed up a serious 2 one 1 situation, while Connor Reeves and Doney smothered Falcon plays. The Rams provided wave after wave of heartbreaking offensive strategies, including efforts by Holliday, Hall and Officer.
The luck seemed to be with the Falcons, as a bad bounce in the Rams end moved the score to 5-1,which proved to be the final.
MF at Hanover
The Rams then traveled to Hanover to seek revenge.
The matched started with even play in both ends, but it was the Falcons who stung first, flipping a bounced shot past net minder Dylan Laprade. Jackson Francis attempted to even the score, but was stymied on his breakaway. Key plays were executed by Connor Reeves and Brett Doney, who swept away additional shots and rebounds.
In the second, the Rams defense was put to the test and stood up admirably. The Falcons did finally best Laprade twice, leaving the Rams fowards with some work to do. Francis was robbed at the Falcons's crease with a stellar attempt to score, while Holliday thrilled with a dramatic breakaway. Nolan Officer dug hard at the net, but the Rams could not break through before the clock wound down.
At the top of the third, it looked like the Rams would be in a defensive mode. However, within the first minute of play, Cody Stewart cashed a Connor Kerr rebound to break through the Falcons' crease. Hanover tried to smother the Rams resergence by attacking Laprade repeatedly. Doney then advanced the cause after accepting a pass from Francis and delivering a blistering slapshot to bulge the twine. It was then Officer's turn for a dramatic solo cruise through the Falcons' defense to tie it up at 3. The fans were then on their feet as Hall swept in a pass from Officer to wrap the match at 4-3.
MF vs. Seaforth
The Rams hosted the Seaforth Stars, with assistance from Alex Riehl who stepped up to fill in for injuried Rams.
The first frame was a solid effort by both squads, including a thrilling rush by Nolan Officer, Macauley Hall and Brett Doney. The Stars received the first point, as a friendly fire shot couldn't be smothered in time by cager Bretton Peter. Cody Stewart helped level the playing field, tapping rubber past the Stars' goal line. Nathan Reeves continues to dig and is due for a goal, but cannot beat the Stars defense.
During the mid frame, Owen Milne made good use of his poke check and teamed well with linemate John Bowden. The Stars earned their second goal, a deflected shot that caught Peter on the short side. Jack Francis made good use of the hip check, while Doney took full advantage of the boards to put a sudden stop to visitor rushes. Inspite of the efforts, the Stars parked at the Rams net and administered punishing attacks - firing 18 shots in the second period alone. The third marker counted was a rebound over a downed Peter. Francis and Maverick Holliday teamed up to retaliate, while Officer had a near miss on the Stars' pipes. Riehl held his own and took advantage of the physical play. Before the end of the second, the Stars would count their fourth point, while the Rams advanced to two goals, thanks to Holliday and Connor Kerr.
In the third, Officer's defensive play was an advantage, along with Connor Reeves' slam into a rushing Star forward. The visitors would chip in two more shots to count 7-3. While it looked like the Rams were done, Officer then reduced the gap for a 7-4 final.
MF at Drayton
It was two evenly matched teams that faced off on Drayton Crusader home ice. The visiting Rams were again assisted by Alex Riehl and started the attack early with a near miss from Cody Stewart. Dylan Laprade was caught flat footed as the Crusaders fired two counts in the first frame and inspite of several strong attempts, the Rams could not rebound.
The hosts counted the third goal on a breakaway that hit the top corner early in the second period. Connor Reeves sacrificed his body to stop a sizzling slap shot while Nathan Reeves, Macauley Hall and Stewart teamed up to make life miserable for the Crusaders' cager. Nolan Officer cashed a pass from Connor Kerr to finally put the Rams on the board. Maverick Holliday, Jack Francis and Stewart then made their attempt, with Stewart returning moments later for a solo goal and a 3-2 count.
In the third stanza, Francis battled on his own to tie up the score and give the fans reason to hope. The hosts weren't backing down, and the Crusaders administered a breakaway concluding in a flipped shot over Laprade's toe. Holliday attempted to regain the point, but it was Brett Doney who tied the game with assists to Stewart and Hall.
MF at Mildmay
It was a thrilling match as the Rams dethroned the Mildmay Monarch in a pre-Christmas contest.
In the last five minutes of the first period, Jackson Francis started the score off a picture perfect pass from Maverick Holliday. The Monarchs replied two minutes later, catching a rebound off the side of the net and chipping it over Bretton Peter. Macauley Hall continued his scoring streak, grabbing a rebound off of Nolan Officer and Connor Kerr before the end of the segment.
The Rams were able to keep the action in the Monarchs' end as Kerr received from Hall to advance the score 3-1. Hall then assisted Officer to increase the margin. The hosts rebounded with a flukey bounced shot that flipped over Peter and landed in the good. It truly became an offensive game as Officer again benefitted from Hall for his second goal fo the game. The Monarchs rallied for a rush on the Rams end, but were met with resistense from Owen Milne and John Bowden. Officer then earned a hattrick with a solo breakaway, weaving through Mildmay players to make the count 6-2.
Nothing changed for the Rams as they moved into the final period. Officer's rebound was then chipped in through traffic by Kerr. Officers' slapshot from the point beat the Monarchs' cager. Bowden then got in on the action with a slap shot of his own. The hosts did reclaim one point, chipping a rebound off a downed Peter for a 9-3 final.