Nov 15, 2011 | Amanda Cailes | 747 views
A Hard Fought Battle
Over the weekend the Atom AE's headed to Hillsburgh to take part in the 2nd Annual "For the Love of the Game" Tournament. This tournament is a well ran tournament that was started last year in Erin-Hillsburgh. It is ran by the organization and an OMHA events team with 100% of the proceeds going to the OMHA Let's Learn Hockey Program, a program that allows the less fortunate in all of the OMHA communities the opportunity to participate in this great sport!
A positive purpose and a group of eager kids make for a great tournament!
The boys showed up ready for a challenge, and were set to face a confidant Erin-Hillsburgh team, fresh off thier previous win. The boys hit the ice determined to get on the boards first. A beautiful goal form Anthony Kelly, unassisted, at 8:44 of the first period saw the boys one step closer on their quest to the finals.
Second period saw alot of back and forth action between the two teams and the Devils were able to slip one in evening out the score. The boys pushed hard in the third and spent the majority of the period deep in the Hillsburgh end. Hungry for the win, Kelly planted another from Justin Brown, past the Devils netminder. Mount Forest came out on top with a 2-1 win over Hillsburgh. Kelly receiving Game MVP!
Second game pitted the Rams up against a desperate Grand Valley team. First period saw alot of end to end action and even though the boys were chipping away at the net, no one was able to get one past the solid goaltending on both sides. First period remained scoreless.
A quick start to the second period saw the Twisters get on the board first. Falling behind for the first time in the tournament the boys answered back with 2:26 left in the second, when Kaleb Rice netted a sweet wraparound goal, evening out the score.
Back and forth, end to end was all the teams saw in the third as the evenly matched teams were not able to add a goal during regulation or the 5 minutes of OT. Set for a shootout to claim victory, the teams matched goal for goal and save for save until fifth shooter in, when Ty Duncan stepped up and sealed the deal for the Rams. Mount Forest came up victorious with another 2-1 win and Duncan received Game MVP!
Rams were set to move on to the Championship game against a dominant Minto Rep team, that blew away their competition to get to the finals.
After a fun filled afternoon of skills competitions and evenly matched hockey the boys made their way to the ice for the Championship game, hoping to tangle up an aggressive Icedogs team. Minto hit hard and netted 2 goals in the first minute of play. Nothing seemed to phase a strong Jacksen McKenzie though, as he battled shot after shot and stayed strong between the pipes. Three minutes in, Kaleb Rice broke out and scored for the Rams, unassisted, bringing Minto's lead to a mere 1 goal. Parker Snyders and Justin Brown along with Ty Duncan and Dylan Dallaire, increased the defense and put forth excellent effort against the assertive Icedogs. Eric McLean set up play after play, while Rice and Colby Storey tried hard to put the puck in the net. Although the scoreboard wasn't in their favour, the boys played one of their best games yet. Michael Rice fought hard getting the puck out of our end and deep in Minto territory, while Ashton Hall blocked shots and intercepted passes, and Anthony Kelly played a solid two way game. The boys were faced with a hard final and even though they didn't come out on top, falling 9-1, they showed perseverance and dedication. Jacksen McKenzie came up huge over and over again rightfully earning the well deserved title of Game MVP!
The outcome might not have been exactly what the boys wanted, but they left with their heads high and their faces full of grins. They enjoyed a funfilled day and gained the knowledge of how well they can play together, and what they need to work on to bring home the Championship in two weeks at Silver Stick. Great job boys!
Go Rams Go!