Jan 04, 2017 | ltalsma | 722 views
Minor Peewee MD Warriors had a good showing at the Wayne Gretzky Hockey tournament in Brantford over the holidays
The All Equip Minor Peewee MD team travelled to Brantford to participate in the Wayne Greatzky International tournament. The boys had a strong showing with their play, unfortunately were not able to capitalize on the opportunities to create goals. Stratford started the tournament against Milton Winterhawks.
The Warriors were able to match shot for shot against the Winterhawks and headed into the third period with a 0-0 tie. Stratford had a goal disallowed which allowed the Winterhawks to gain some momentum and were able to put a couple of pucks past Matthew Reed who played an amazing game, stopping most shots. Stratford lost 2-0. Corey Jones, Zachary Richardson, Bruce Munro and Liam Hill had many opportunities to put it away however could not beat the Milton goalie. Ryan Middegaal, Jacob Boyer, and Nathan Framst helped Reed out in their end by attacking the Winterhawks and clearing the puck when needed. Player of the game went to Ethan Dam for his strong offensive play. The Warriors then went on to face the Caledonia Hawks for their second game of the day. Stratford got behind early as Calendonia came out strong. The line of Conor Davis, Liam Hill, and Dam showed lots of hustle and attacked the puck with confidence. Munro, Richardson, and Cole Iacobellis provided many scoring opportunities throughout the game with great passing and rushing. Logan Lott, Tyson Talsma, and Garrett Spahiu provided a strong defensive front for Liam Parsons in net. Player of the game went to Richardson for his hustle and checking. Stratford returned to Brantford the next day with a mission. Stoney Creek Warriors were the recipient of that mission as the Warriors came out with a 5-3 win. Stoney Creek was first to be on the board in the last minute of the first period. Stoney Creek came back with another unanswered goal in the second period. Stratford gave Stoney Creek some false hope heading into the third period up 2-0 as they came out in the third with two unanswered goals. The Warriors traded goals back and forth until late in the third period when Spahiu put his second goal of the game in the empty net to end the game. Jones, Hill, Richardson and Spahiu scored for Stratford. Assists went to Ewan Ollson, Spahiu, and Munro. Reed picked up the win in the net and Spahiu was awarded player of the game. The defense of Middegaal, Spahiu, Lott, Talsma, Boyer and Framst provided strong play to help protect Reed. The offensive line of Jones, Ollson, and Cole Humphrey showed great hustle all game. Stratford finished the tournament against a strong Kitchener Jr. Rangers team. Stratford fought hard throughout the entire game checking and rushing whenever possible. The Warriors fought hard throughout the game never giving up. Parsons held Stratford in the game with many key saves. Kitchener won 4-0 to end the Warriors tournament. It was an excellent tournament for all players as they showed great hustle, passing, teamwork and gave a never give up attitude in all games. Next action for Stratford is this weekend as they host Hamilton on Saturday and travel back to Brantford on Sunday to face the 99ers. ~written by Sherri Davis