Sep 22, 2013 | pettigrewb | 1427 views
Major Bantams have Great Earlybird Weekend
The Gaviller & Company Jr. Attack Major Bantams went 4-2 this past weekend and lost a heartbreaker 1-0 in the Final.
What a great weekend of hockey and a strong beginning to the season for the Owen Sound Gaviller & Company Jr. Attack Major Bantams.
Owen Sound opened up the tournament on Friday morning against a solid team from Saugeen Shores and posted a 4-0 win. Scoring for Owen Sound were Tayan MacMillan with a pair, Matthew Lyall added a single along with 1 helper. Kurt Long added the other marker. Additional assists went to Andrew Vardy, Matthew Struthers and Quinton Maddock. Jack Armstrong posted the shutout.
Friday afternoon saw Owen Sound face a tough Midland squad. It was tight game until the 6 minute mark of the 2nd when Owen Sound claimed the 1st goal off the stick of Brady Brown, assisted by Matt Lyall and Tanner Prior. Owen Sound then fell back on its heels a bit, and Midland tied the game up, early in the 3rd. Late in the 3rd Midland capaltized on an Owen Sound giveaway up the middle. The point shot was stopped by Owen Sound goalie Reese Pettigrew, but rebound was fired home by a Midland forward. Midland then sealed the victory with a empty net goal with 39 seconds left in the game.
Saturday morning saw Owen Sound finish the round robin off with a win against a tough Ted Reeve Thunder from the GTHL. Both teams traded 1st period goals, and then Owen Sound took over with 1 in the 2nd and another in the 3rd to seal the victory. Tanner Prior, Andrew Vardy and Noah Rouse each scored. Nathaniel Dodd added 2 helpers, with Matthew Struthers, Larsen Lorenz and Josh Batterman adding 1 helper each. Jack Armstrong played well to preserve the win.
Game 4 was an elimination game that saw the boys take on Erin-Hillsburgh and dominated the game from the opening face-off. Brady Brown had the hot hand potting 2 goals and adding 2 helpers. Nathaniel Dodd, Quinton Maddock each had 2 goals with Matthew Lyall adding a goal and an assist. Andrew Vardy, Larsen Lorenz and Kurt Long each had 2 helpers on the day, with Josh Batterman, and Tayan MacMillan adding 1 helper each. Reese Pettigrew earned the win and the shutout.
Championship Sunday was upon us and we faced the team that handed us our only loss on the weekend in a Semi-Final match, the Midland Centennials. This was a well played game by both teams, and the only difference in the game was a goal scored late in the 1st period off the stick of Owen Sound forward Kurt Long. Assists went to Nathaniel Dodd and Tayan MacMillan. Jack Armstrong was solid between the pipes to earn the win and the shutout. He made several big saves during the game. The win gave the Gaviller & Company Jr. Attack a trip to the Final later Sunday afternoon.
The final pitted the Owen Sound Jr. Attack against the Dorchester Dragons. This game was a carbon copy of the Semi-Final game, however it wasn't in the Owen Sound squads favor. With 35 seconds left in the 1st Dorchester capitalized on a puck that didn't clear the zone and fired it past Owen Sound goalie Reese Pettigrew who played a great game between the pipes and kept it close for his team throughout the game making several big saves throughout. It was a back and forth game with chances at both ends, but Owen Sound could not find the back of net during this game.
Overall, it was a great team effort and by no means should this team hang their heads. They worked hard on the forecheck, were solid in the defensive zone, made some great passes, laid the body when needed, potted 16 goals and only allowed 4 goals against in 6 games + 1 empty netter. Yes there are things to be worked on, but hey, it is still only September!!!!.
What a way to begin the season. The only thing that could have made it better was a win in the Final, but just getting there this early in the season is something to proud of without a doubt. Coach Millman, Saunders and Livingstone have these kids wanting to come to the rink, wanting to learn and wanting to "Be Better Everyday" and that is a good sign for this years Gaviller & Company Jr. Attack Major Bantam hockey club. Great job this weekend boys!!!!