The Neumeister Tier Two Warriors travelled to Burlington to play in a tournament in Novice action. The team rose early Friday morning for a 10:00am contest with the Tier One Burlington Bulldogs which they lost 9-0, on Saturday they had a morning game against the Tier Two Bulldogs they won 2-1 and an evening match with the Tier One Brantford 99ers which they lost 4-2.
Against the Burlington Bulldogs Tier One team The Warriors struggled to create chances and withstood continued pressure. However, they did manage to steady themselves during the game. Despite a six goal deficit after the first period, the Warriors limited the Bulldogs to only three more for the remainder of the game. Ezra Wreford won some battles with some hard-nosed play. Caellum Parsons skated well and advanced the puck, Nolan Tryssennar and Cody Duiker won possession along the boards.
In the early game Saturday, the Warriors defeated the Bulldogs 2-1 in a thriller. Kadyn Adams opened the scoring in the first period with an unassisted goal to give the Warriors the lead. From there the game was well played and very competitive. Lucas Morrison and Kieran Johnson played hard at defense and both won some key battles for the puck to limit Bulldog chances. John Spillane barely missed a goal with a wrist shot from the point. The Bulldogs tied the game near the end of the second period, setting up the fast paced third. In the final frame, the game went back and forth with the deadlock being broken on a goal by Rowan Green assisted by Ezra Wreford and Caellum Parsons. Penalty trouble and a pulled Bulldog goalie led to a 6 on 3 wild finish. The Warriors held on to run out the clock and book a date in the semifinals. Credit to Lucas Morrison, Fischer McPherson and Caellum Parsons for their play in the final seconds to keep the puck out of harm’s way. Davis Longston posted a shutout in his portion of the game and made some big saves late to preserve the victory.
On Saturday night, the Warriors took on the Tier One Brantford 99ers and came out on the wrong end of a competitive 4-2 score to set up a rematch with the Tier One Bulldogs in the semifinals. In the first period, Kadyn Adams netted his first of two with a goal assisted by John Spillane. In the second he potted another with Rowan Green and Josh Steele. Overall, the Warrior defense was strong with excellent work stalling the determined 99ers by Kieran Johnson, Caellum Parsons, Ezra Wreford and Fischer McPherson. On the attack, Evan Hughes had several good chances and was unfortunate not to get a goal. Cody Duiker skated well and made lead passes to start the Warrior attack. Nolan Tryssenar was aggressive in the offensive zone and had good chances as well. In net both Davis Longston and Quinn Smith made tremendous saves and covered the puck to frustrate the 99ers and keep the Warriors in the game. The team should be proud to have played the eventual champions to their closest game in the tournament.
The Warriors had an early curfew to prepare for the semifinal early Sunday.
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Photos:
Front of article - Rowan Green scoring the winner
End - Lucas Morrison skating hard
Quinn Smith in net, Lucas Morrison and John Spillane on D, Josh Steele and Kadyn Adams at forward
Cody Duiker with the puck, Caellum Parsons skating fast, Evan Hughes and Ezra Wreford joining the attack, Kadyn Adams and COdy Duiker in the attack
Evan Hughes shooting
Nolan Tryssenar and Caellum Parsons in pursuit
Ezra Wreford skating hard
Kieran Johnson playing D
Cody Duiker
Kadyn Adams shooting
John Spillane on D
Kieran Johnson on D and Quinn Smith at G
Quinn Smith in net - John Spillane D, Fischer McPherson D, Caellum Parsons, Josh Steele and Kieran Johnson