The Perth Auto Dismantlers Major Atom Warriors
travelled to Collingwood to take part in the 40th annual Huronia hockey
tournament from October 16-18, 2015.
The Warriors faced a hardworking Mt. Brydges team to start the tournament on Friday. Despite many back and forth plays, and the excellent defensive skills Logan Lott and Ryan Middegaal, the game ended in a 4-3 loss. Jared Gould, Kaden Brame & Jonas Schmidt all notched goals for the Warriors.
In their second game on Friday night, the Warriors downed the hometown Collingwood Blackhawks in game 2 of pool play by a score of 5-3. Hats rained down as Ethan Martin scored 3 goals for the hat trick to pace the Warriors in the win while Jared Gould netted 2 goals to close out the victory. Liam Parsons had an outstanding showing in net while the defensive team of Avery Thurston and Colton Gibson were a force to be reckoned with defending off the strong Blackhawks team help seal with win.
The Warriors won their final pool play game on Saturday morning by defeating Saugeen Shores Storm by a score of 3-0. Goal scorers included Cole Meadows, Ethan Martin and Jonas Schmidt. The unrelenting tenacious attack by the offense and sound team defense helped Noah Campbell earn the shutout. Luke Zorgdrager's and Luke Heisz’ poised play steadied the Warrior "D" and frustrated the Storm forwards on several occasions. This win set the stage for a rematch with Mt Brydges in the semi-final matchup.
Both teams raced out of the gate with glorious scoring chances at both ends. Owen Holloway's anticipation and puck possession tactics created fits of frustration for the Mt Brydges squad. Kaden Brame, Cole Meadows, Jake Heinbuch, Liam Hill and speedy winger Sam Jeffrey all peppered the opposing goalie with shots throughout the contest, Heinbuch netting the first goal of the game for the Warriors. Jared Gould managed a deflection off a Jeffrey slap shot that eluded the Mount Bridges net minder to break the 1-1 tie midway through the 2nd period putting the Warriors on top with a 2-1 lead. That proved to be enough to earn a date for the final dance with the hometown favorites’, a team they had beaten earlier in the tourney.
In the finals, Collingwood came out with vengeance in mind opening the scoring early in the 1st. Scoring was abundant as the see saw battle continued between the two teams. Entering the 3rd period, the Collingwood team led by a score of 4-3 before adding to that total and thwarting any hopes of a Warrior comeback. Jonas Schmidt continued his torrid scoring pace netting all 3 goals for the Stratford side.
Congratulations to the team on a fun filled, successful weekend and a silver medal!