A stymied offence proved to
be the Owen Sound Jr. Attack Canadian Tire Tykes’ downfall at this past
weekend’s 21st annual Bob Giroux Memorial Tournament in Brampton.
The Tykes were unable to escape round-robin play with a 0-2-1 record.
“Overall, the coaching staff was pleased with the effort,” said Owen Sound head coach Rob Martin. “The kids played hard in every game until the final whistle and were able to make adjustments to their games on the fly. It showed us that we can compete with the big centres. Going into the next tournament (Cujo Tyke Invitational in Newmarket, Jan. 18-20) we should be better prepared.”
Owen Sound opened the 12-team, three division tourney on Friday morning with a 1-1 tie against the Buffalo Regals.
“We got off to a slow start in the Buffalo game. It took the kids some time to get used to the blue pucks and shake off the bus legs,” said Martin.
Both outshooting and outchancing their American counterparts throughout the contest, the Tykes certainly deserved a better fate if not for the heroics of Buffalo netminder Cooper Rautenstrauch.
Jaren Pirie finally solved the stalwart Regals netminder in the second period, when stationed in the slot he accepted a Cody Cox feed from behind the net and buried it high over the shoulder of Rautenstrauch. Linemate Kashias Keeshig also chipped in with an assist on the play.
“From the second period on, I thought we dominated both ends of the ice,” Martin said. “Unfortunately, we ran into a hot goalie, probably the best goalie we have seen all season. I thought we threw everything but the kitchen sink at him, but we could manage only one goal. The kids played really well and deserved a win.”
Owen Sound goaltender Myles Playter, who was a wall when called upon, had his shutout bid erased with only 1.4 seconds remaining in the second period.
On Friday night, the eventual division-winning Guelph Jr. Storm scored three unanswered goals en route to a 4-1 win over the Tykes.
The Cox-Keeshig-Pirie trio was the lone line to strike again for Owen Sound, though this time it was Pirie sending in alone Keeshig, whose initial shot was stopped, before a driving to the net Cox shovelled home the rebound.
Owen Sound netminder Noah Lundgren played well in a losing cause.
“I think the Guelph team was the best team we have played this year,” said Martin. “Although Guelph carried most of the play, I thought we did a good job of protecting the front of the net. If we could have scored on a couple of our breakaways, the result may have been different.”
The Tykes were officially eliminated from the tournament on Saturday afternoon, falling 2-1 to the Burlington Eagles.
Markus Granjar-Ptok scored an unassisted marker for Owen Sound while a well-tested Playter kept his team in the contest from start to finish.
“The Burlington game was one I thought we could have stolen a win,” said Martin. “It was by far the best game Myles has played this year.
“They had the puck a lot,” he added, “but we played good team defence and kept most of the shots to the outside. The team did a good job of collapsing around the net and clearing away rebounds. And the kids were able to make adjustments during the game, which was nice to see.”
Defensively throughout the weekend, the Tykes’ back end – comprised of Isaac Cameron, Jillian Goldie, Isaiah Harvey, Nate Oniszeczko and Cooper Schneider – was at its best. Only the four teams advancing to Sunday’s semi-finals surrendered less goals than Owen Sound in round-robin play.
In the end, the Oakville Rangers defeated the host Brampton Jr. Battalion by a score of 3-2 in the championship final.
The Tykes (7-6-2) return to Georgian Bay Minor Hockey League action this Sunday at home versus the first-place Dundalk Storm (12-1). Puck drop at the Bayshore Community Centre is scheduled for noon.