Oct 17, 2016 | Mike Knechtel | 892 views
Major Atoms Win Gold
The Perth Auto Dismantlers Major Atoms went undefeated and won The Boston Pizza Cup this past week-end in St. Thomas.
In the opening game, the team defeated Fort Erie 2-1. Nathaniel Smith and Ryan Haines scored for Stratford, while assists were earned by Sam Pepper, Isaac Nickel, Colten Kuepfer, and Gabe Emms.
The boys came out strong in game two and skated away with a 9-0 victory over St. Thomas. Quinn Appel and Smith each notched two goals. Also scoring were Ethan Plotnik, Brett Knechtel, Pepper, Haines, and Nickel. Jackson Grasby and Knechtel earned two assists each, while singles were earned by Marek Carter, Mark Pyzowski, Caleb Martin, Nathan Gibb, Pepper, Smith, Nickel, Plotnik, and Emms. Koen Gerber earned the shut out in net.
Game three saw the team face a strong Lincoln Blades, winning 6-3. Goaltender Jesse Merkel made several key saves throughout the game helping his team earn another victory. Nickel notched two goals, while Haines, Appel, Emms, and Plotnik had one each. Assisting on the goals were Haines, Nickel, Gibb, Carter, and Grasby.
Stratford faced St. Thomas in the semi-finals, winning their fourth game of the tournament 5-2. Pyzowski scored two goals, and Kuepfer, Smith, and Pepper each had one. Earning assists were Beckham McLeod, Carter, Appel, and Emms.
The team met the Lincoln Blades in the finals and found themselves behind a majority of the game but were able to fight back to tie it late in the third period forcing a 5-4 overtime victory. Knechtel opened the scoring for Stratford with an assist to Appel. Nickel and Pyzowski scored the next two goals, both unassisted. Nickel tied the game with 2:46 left in the third with helpers going to Smith and Appel. A little over a minute into overtime, Haines secured the win with assists from Nickel and Pyzowski.
The boys are to be congratulated on their strong effort throughout the week-end. They return to regular season play on Friday when they travel to Burlington to meet the Bulldogs for the first time this season.