Jan 03, 2015 | Stephanie McMullen | 1136 views
Atom Selects Play Hard at the Bryan Bickell Cup
The Owen Sound Atom Selects celebrated the beginning of 2015 by travelling to Orono in eastern Ontario to participate in the Bryan Bickell Cup, and showed that the new year is full of promise for these young players!
In the opening match the Selects faced off against the Millbrook Stars. Although Owen Sound dominated play, at the end of regulation time, the score was 2-2, thanks to goals by Taelum Wilkie and Foster Tannahill. Each of Owen Sound’s sharp shooters in the shootout hit home, as Foster, Ethan Kerr and Jaiden Whitlock demonstrated their skill, and goalie Jake Ostrom showed why he is the King of Shootouts, holding the opposition’s snipers to just one goal.
After the opening victory, Owen Sound met the Newcastle Stars for round two. The Stars broke into an early lead, but the players battled back to a 3-2 score on goals by Lucas Merner off a great pass from Ethan Kerr, and Isaiah Keir’s first goal as a Select. They were on the cusp of tying it up, when Newcastle had a late game surge and jumped ahead 7-2 by the time the buzzer went.
Defeated but resilient, the Selects regrouped for the B division finals against the Durham Crusaders. In an exciting match, the game remained tied through most of regulation, thanks to Taelum Wilkie’s second goal of the tournament, Brodie Aberdein’s well-placed shot and goaltender Jamie Nicoll’s plucky rebound play. The team pulled out all the stops, but Durham held their game and ended up with the 5-2 victory. Based on his outstanding play throughout the tournament, Jake Ostrom was named as the team’s tournament MVP.
Throughout the tournament, Dylan Phillips provided his usual “wall” of defence, reliably shutting down the opposition players who ventured over Owen Sound’s blue line. Colin Nicol showcased his flexibility, playing both forward and defence over the course of the tournament, and doing a great job at both! Spencer Stevens has made great strides in his game, and Quinton Rodgers continues to fearlessly rush the puck, flying around the ice. Cole Brown’s solid defensive play made it possible for the forwards to grab a quick pass and run with it. The team battled hard, kept up their energy and had fans on their edge of their seats!