The Minor PeEwee All Equip Repair &
Service Jr. Warriors skated threw the 20th International Silverstick
in Pelham this weekend.
GAME #1 – vs. Dorchester Dragons (Ayr, Ontario)
Starting Silverstick with an early morning rise Thursday, the boys had a sluggish start, that the Dragons took advantage of, with two quick goals in the first. Getting a small break with a power play midway threw the second, Logan Hallock tucked in the lone goal for the Jr. Warriors, assisted by Spencer Murphy. Dorchester netted two more in the third, to take the momentum of the game and the W.
GAME #2 – vs. St. Marys Rock (Collingwood, Ontario)
#better_everyday “FIND A WAY’
Hoping to ignite some fire, the boys came out light on their skates, flying from end to end action against the Rock. Liam Ollson put the Jr. Warriors on the board first ending the period with a pass from line mate Dylan Abel. Starting the second period Jordan Keane battled hard on the boards to tip a puck up to line-mate Hallock who shot and netted his own rebound, for the boys to take a 2-0 lead. Both teams raced end-to-end, hustling on the boards and clearing pucks. Defencemen Adam Jeffrey had a consistent game along the boards, clearing pucks and holding the Rock. With the game coming to an end the Rock tried to pour the heat on but the boys in blue-white-red played a strong defensive game, boxing out the Rock and taking the W with Lukas Steele scoring an empty netter to make it 3-0.
GAME #3 – vs. Merritton Bulldogs
#better_everyday “HEAVY ON YOUR STICK,
LIGHT ON YOUR FEET,
PLAY HARD”
Waking up to the rooster’s Friday morning the boys couldn’t seem to generate any solid offence to take the W. The boys fell to the Bulldogs 3-1, with Hallock netting the Jr. Warriors lone goal.
GAME #4 – vs. Wayne Force (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
#better_everyday “PLAY HARD, PLAY FAST, PLAY OUR GAME”
With the Pool Play ending in the morning and the teams being reseeded, the Jr. Warriors faced a new opponent. With the game being early afternoon & starting a half hour late, the boys found their energy and were back in action. Hallock scored the first goal of the game from behind the net, to put the blue-white-red on the scoreboard. Abel netted the second goal of the game, quickly followed by a third goal from Steele, assisted by Hallock. The Force managed to sneak one in ending the period at 3-1. The flurry continued with Hallock opening the second period with another goal, assisted by line-mate Keane. Defencemen Luke Jackson had a solid game giving offensive support, holding the Force on the boards and clearing the zone. The Force snuck in a second goal with less then a minute left in the period & a third goal starting the third period. Hallock answered back with another goal to complete the Hat Trick, but the Force were not giving up and netted a fourth goal with 7:32 left. The energy was high for both teams and battles becoming relentless, Steele was able to snag a Power Play with a penalty shot, that he made count, giving the Jr. Warriors a 6-4 W.
GAME #5 – vs. Rye Rangers (Bridgeport, Connecticut) – SEMI-FINALS
#better_everyday “100% EVERY SHIFT FOR THE TEAM”
Saturday afternoon the boys faced a much larger and stronger Connecticut team for the Semi’s. The team came out smooth on their skates and won most puck battles and created opportunities with their structured game play. Zach Scrimgeour played an aggressive game, crashing the boards, moving pucks in front of the net and back checking. The Rye caught a lucky bounce in the first to mark the scoreboard, but that didn’t rattle any cages for the Warriors. Starting the second Keane dug a puck out feeding Hallock who took a shot that trickled past the goaltender landing on the goal line, that Ollson buried, to put the game at 1’s. Shortly after Hallock fed a puck out in front of the net to Steele, with Abel creating a screen, Steele lined up a shot to hit the mesh, for the Jr. Warriors to take the lead. Ending the second Steele dumped a puck into the corner for Ollson, who saw opportunity and fed a shot in front of the net that Hallock buried giving the boys some breathing room to end the period. Defencemen Sammy Binns and Liam Eddleston both had a great game winning battles in the corner and clearing out all the garbage in front of the net. The Rye fired in their second goal of the game starting the third but couldn’t keep any consistent offence. Hallock made a pass to Steele down low, who saw a clear pass to Murphy making a line change for him to net another for the Jr. Warriors. With the boys up by 2 the Rangers tried gaining control with a 6 on 5 and a time out, but were unsuccessful as Ellis Schnurr cleared a puck to slide in an empty netter to end the game 5-2.
GAME #6 – vs. Fresno Jr. Monsters (Sam Jose, California) – FINALS
#better_everyday “PLAY LIKE CHAMPIONS”
Looking across to the bigger and stronger Fresno team the boys started the game flat footed. They weren’t able to grab any solid pucks to create offensive opportunities between the pipes. Starting the second period two goals down, the Warrior faces started showing up and the team buckled down and took over the period. Owen Chadwick played a well-balanced game, covering the ice evenly, stopping Fresno from entering the area in blue, clearing pucks out of the end zone, keeping puck movement behind the net. They pinned Fresno in their end, circling the puck and firing shots from all angles, but were stopped at the gates by the Monster’s goaltender. Both goaltenders Lachlan Stanley and Brendan Sipple shared the job in net. Both goaltenders playing solid games keeping the Jr. Warriors in the fight. Defensive pairing Sammy Binns and Schnurr had a great period pinning pucks in the Fresno end. Coach Chadwick’s motivational words between periods sent the boys out on the ice with a clear vision. Off the puck drop, Ollson and Hallock attacked the puck and made a couple quick passes back and forth to crash the net for Hallock to take a shot and Ollson to seal the deal by netting the first goal for the Jr. Warriors. With the energy on our side and the confidence up, all three lines hit the ice hard and fast, smothering the Fresno fire. Energizer Bunny Keane, created offence with his aggressive fore-checking to set up line-mate Rowan Smith, who nailed a shot to put the game at 2’s. With 4:17 left in the game Fresno called a time out to regroup, but again Chadwick’s inspirational speech sent the boys out firing on all cylinders. With 1:17 left, defenceman Nick Wagner saw a path and took it, launching a rocket threw the Monster’s goalie for the Jr. Warriors to take the lead. The remainder of the game the team played solid defensive hockey to clench the title as the INTERNATIONAL SILVERSTICK PEEWEE CHAMPIONS!
** CONGRATULATIONS to all 17 boys for a spectacular 4-day tournament and accomplishment! Thank you to all spectators who made the travel to Pelham to cheer them on!!
- By: Brittany Hallock