Mar 24, 2013 | stataj | 952 views
Tykes on to Game 5 vs. Coldwater
The Owen Sound Jr. Attack Canadian Tire Tykes are moving on to a fifth and hopefully deciding game versus the Coldwater Wildcats in the Georgian Bay Novice C consolation final. I say hopefully as the last two games have ended in a tie, even after 10 minutes of overtime in each game. Instead of a best-of-five, it has become a six-point series. Both teams now sit with 4 points after 4 games, with a win the Tykes will be able to close it out in Coldwater this coming Saturday.
After not seeing Coldwater once during the regular season, the Tykes have now played them 5 times over the past 3 weekends of play. Coldwater took the last game of the playoff round robin by a score of 3-2. In the next two games, teams traded 2-0 victories, with each team winning on the road. This past weekend saw the teams play a pair or extremely tight games resulting in ties of 3-3 and 1-1.
Satuday's game in Coldwater saw the Wildcats jump out to a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period. The Tykes chipped away at the lead, allowing them to pull goalie Noah Lundgren with less than two minutes to play. The gamble paid off as they scored the equalizer with just over a minute left in regulation. Overtime solved nothing, with both teams getting chances, but the game ended knotted up at 3-3.
The Tykes had a much better start on Sunday at the Bayshore, but still fell behind 1-0. Echoing Saturday's result, they tied it up at 1, then both teams traded chances. Brett Warrilow nearly ended the game late in overtime with a shot off the glove of the Wildcat goalie, but their defence managed to cover up the puck to deny the Tykes the win.
Coach Rob Martin summed up the weekend with this, "I was really proud of the kids this weekend. We had a slow start on Saturday but never gave up. Scoring so late in the game demonstrated what we have been saying all year about never giving up and playing hard right to the final buzzer. We did a much better job this weekend of neutralizing their best player, Number 96, Jordyn Loughlin. I'm looking forward to another quality effort by the team in both practice this week and the game next Saturday."
So the Tykes head out on the long road to Coldwater again next Saturday for a game at 11:30. With a win they will have 6 points and secure the Novice C Consolation championship. This year has been a tremendous growing experience for our players who were born in 2005 and 2006. The teams they have played in non-tournament games have been comprised of primarily players born in 2004. This season has provided an excellent base for the players heading into next year when they will be playing against teams whose players are their own age.