GLIDING THROUGH DECEMBER, News, U10, U10-U11 (Atom), 2021-2022 (Stratford Minor Hockey Association)

The Holloway Auto Parts Plus U10 Rep Team had a busy week of hockey, fitting in four ice times. 

VS. WATERLOO WOLVES

Thursday night the boys lined up against the Waterloo Wolves for an unusual weekday game. The team came out aggressive, fast, and ready to battle. Owen ‘The Rush’ Hurley started the scoring, stealing the puck in the defensive zone, heading down the centre, making a slow drag, shifting the defence, and sliding in the first goal. With both teams collapsing in front of Waterloo’s goaltender and the puck bouncing between players skates, Joey Bitzer’s quick eye, saw the floating puck and slammed in the second goal. Midway through the period Hurley zoned in his path, rushing down, netting the third goal. With the frustration building up amongst Waterloo, they tried taking the ‘cherry picking’ approach to create offence but were held up by Tyler ‘The Hound’ Peck on the front end, for-checking, back checking, pinning players on the boards, nothing was stopping #7 from taking that puck. The boys picked up a couple penalties, that created chances for Waterloo but they couldn’t get past Nash Zacher, who stood between the pipes for the Warriors. Zacher was on his game, poking, smothering, catching pucks, forcing the yellow and black to be creative offensively to hit the mesh. The last 5 minutes of play in the second were busy. Waterloo netted their lone goal right before, Mason Bye, Moss, Peck, Brayden Keating and Marcus Atkinson held the team in their end for two minutes, riffling shots, until the boys picked up a tripping penalty. On the PK, Bye chipped a puck up the boards, wheeled on by the defencemen, down the right side shot top corner stick side, to put the board at 4-1. Puck drop, Bye maneuvered around the players, grabbed the puck, fired a shot, Moss released a shot off the rebound, bouncing off the goalie’s pads to Bye’s stick, shooting bar down to make it 5-1. Like a carbon copy from all their games, the U10 continued pouring on the goals in the third. Hurley fired a shot deep bouncing off the boards to Bye, making a quick wrist shot, Peck caught the puck spun around and netted the sixth goal. #31 from Waterloo had #6 Joseph Moss’ number, stone walling his flurry of offence all game until the seventh goal, Moss was able to slam one past the tender. Hurley made a rush zig zag-ing threw the pack of Wolves, to net the eighth goal, five hole. Peck, creating pressure on the Wolves offence to make a decision, stole the puck, was tripped, but followed threw a pass to Moss, who ‘one timed’ a shot, hitting the mesh to make it 9-1. Moss completed the hat trick not long after, trickling in the tenth goal. Ending the final moments of the game Bye on Peck’s flank, picked up the rebound to get the final goal, finishing with a 10-1 W.

VS. JR. MUSTANGS WHITE

Saturday morning dressed in white, were the Warriors staring down the small but mighty, Jr Mustangs geared up in purple. First shift the Mustangs made a pass that caught an unexpected bounce changing direction to cross the Warriors line, making it a surprising quick 1-0. Few minutes into the period Warriors went on a PP, capitalizing on the opportunity was defencemen Marcus Atkinson making an outlet pass to Bye, who fed on the fly, linemate Moss who launched a shot past the tenders right shoulder, tying the game up. The first period was unusually chippy, choppy, full of bouncing pucks, players bumping into each other, sticks flailing, lack of communication throughout positions and penalties from both sides of the ice, an odd mixture for the U10. The Bench Staff must have had some settling words of wisdom for the boys, as the second period looked much different! Goaltender Sawyer Verspeeten using the toe of his stick, chipped a puck up to Moss, who fed Hurley, who went head on towards the goaltender shooting low stick side to put the boys ahead. Seconds later, winning the draw Hurley kept the puck, skated down the right side firing a shot beside the post to make it 3-1. Couple shifts later, Moss took a snapshot with linemate Peck following closely behind to seal the deal for goal #4. With the Warriors having some breathing room, the Jr. Mustangs didn’t give up, they were hard on them in pairs trying to hold them to the boards, sandwich plays and keep the boys working for every inch. Nate Micks took a puck down the boards, calmly waiting for linemate Coleton Schmidt to line a shot up and with a beauty pass Schmidt didn’t miss his mark whistling in the fifth goal. Next shift Schmidt jumped on the ice at full tilt, using his reach to gain advantage on the defencemen, releasing a wrist shot top left corner to light the board up for the final time in the second, making it 6-1. The third period started with the Jr. Mustangs winning the draw, launching a shot through a crowd netting their second goal. With two penalties overlapping there was a minute of 4v4, Verspeeten was put to the test a couple times, he hugged the posts tightly not allowing any horse to push through. Schmidt used his strength to plow past the Jr. Mustangs defencemen, releasing a rocket making it 7-2. Following that play, the Jr. Mustangs crashed the net, with the puck lost amongst the players feet and everyone scrambling a puck managed to trickle over the line to make it 7-3. Lincoln Rae held the wing, playing a gritty game, digging pucks out, tying sticks up and moving Jr Mustangs bodies. Hurley ended the game with a clean breakaway, leaving all the Stang in the dust on a PK finishing with an 8-3 W. Holding the blue line for the U10 Warriors is Nash Rhiel, Jaxon Hallock, Nick Forman, Malcolm Austin-Olsen, Marcus Atkinson and Brayden Keating, these six boys have done a fantastic job moving into their roles as defencemen. They have all molded into their pairings with always backing their partner on the offensive blue line, in the neutral zone and especially in the defensive zone. They always have one defenceman in front of the net when the puck is in their zone, they stay staggered, they clear pucks over the blue line and their transitioning has been effective and a key contribution to the U10.

VS. ST. THOMAS JR STARS

With their second away game for the weekend the boys walked into the Joe Thornton Arena Sunday afternoon to cross sticks with the St. Thomas Jr. Stars. With the arena bopping to music the energy was high, the puck dropped at 12:45pm, with a quick 45sec start and some minor technically difficulties the game was paused and continued with another face off at center ice minutes later. Hurley had his groove on, caring the puck to the blue line, making some lateral moves firing a shot, with Bitzer tapping in the rebound, starting with a fast 1-0. Defencemen Hallock made a pass up the boards to Moss, feeding Schmidt weaving through the Stars to make it 2-0. Next shift Hurley zooming down the ice, dragged the D to the left and launched a shot low glove side ending the period 3-0. Hurley kept his groove going picking the puck up at center, one zig and another zag and down the left side he went netting the fourth goal. The Jr. Stars found some light, finding an open player out front netting their first goal. Warriors went on a PK and collaborated to deflate the Jr. Stars offence. With the clock winding down a tripping penalty was called sending the Warriors into a PP to start the second. Andrew Hodgins put his moves in motion, working his way down the ice, with Jr. Stars closing in, he made a beauty drop back pass at the red line to Hurley, giving him the open angle to net the fifth goal. Jr. Stars responded with a goal of their own putting the board 5-2. Not being fazed by the goal, Hurley took the puck from the draw heading towards the tender, making a couple fake head bobs, causing the goalie to drop and shooting top right corner to keep the Warriors ahead by a healthy gap. Minutes later the Jr. Stars battled through the ice to crash in their third goal. With some solid back checking, a couple puck battles, Moss stamped the W for the Warriors with a wrap around out front, picking up his own rebound sliding in the final goal, ending with a 7-3 W.

UP NEXT:

Thursday, December 16^th 7:30P.M @ Stratford RBC (Rink A) VS. Burlington Jr. Raiders Black

Saturday, December 18^th 5:15P.M @ Stratford RBC (Rink B) VS. Burlington Jr. Raiders Red

Sunday, December 19^th 1:30P.M @ Allman Arena VS. Woodstock Jr. Navy Vets