Nov 06, 2022 | Dan Daum | 268 views
Gut Check Time
The Sutton Group First Choice Realty U14 Warriors were looking to defend their Silver Stick title from a year ago as they played host team for the 2022 Silver Stick Regional Tournament November 4-6. These tournaments garner some of the most talented teams from either side of the border.
If the week leading up to the tournament was any indication of things to come the Warriors were going to be in tough. With the team being ravaged by a revolving door of illness they took to the ice for game one with whatever bodies were nourished well enough to get through the contest. With some AP help the Warriors stepped onto the ice to face North Toronto. The game started with North Toronto pushing the pace and getting a quality scoring chance early, a nice play by a hustling Stratford defenceman kept the attacker on his backhand to limit his options. Stratford would begin to push back and the teams went back and forth trying to gain some traction for control of the match. A Stratford Penalty midway through the frame would give the Toronto team the man advantage. After a beautiful post to post save by the Warrior netminder the puck found its way to a waiting Toronto player for the score and a 1-0 for North Toronto. With three minutes left in the period another great save off of the left pad of the Stratford goalie would keep the game close. This seemed to give the team a jolt and they started generating some chances of their own but the Toronto goalie was able to keep them out. With the score still 1-0 the second period started with the Toronto team buzzing and looking for more. The Warriors countered with good positional hockey to keep things steady. Around the nine minute mark Toronto sprung free for a 2 on 1 rush but once again the Warrior between the pipes turned it aside, keeping things at 1-0. The Warrior defence were doing a great job helping by clearing loose pucks and bodies from the front of the net to allow their goalie to see the shots clearly. With seven minutes left in the period a Toronto player found a loose puck in the slot and dragged it around the pile of players to expose a magnificent opportunity that would leave him and the Warrior netminder one on one, a rifled shot for the top of the net seemed like a sure goal until a flash of the goalie's arm sent the puck high and over the net...an unreal save! The Toronto team would not be denied as they continued their surge which eventually paid off when they scored on a rebound off of a tipped point shot and another moments later when a scramble at the left side of the Stratford net resulted in a tap in. The third period brought more of the same, a determined Toronto team and a group of Warriors refusing to quit. The Stratford defence continued to spoil rushes by taking the body instead of the puck. Midway through the period Toronto found themselves on a 2 on 0. The puck carrier held it as long as possible to ensure a tap in for his linemate but as that last second feed across the crease came, the Warrior netminder displayed the explosive push and extended the left leg for another remarkable save! The team responded with a nice burst and found there own breakaway chance only to be denied by the post. With Toronto taking a penalty with eight minutes remaining the Warriors won the faceoff clean and a well directed point shot was tipped home to get the Warriors on the board. The remaining shifts saw the Warriors play some inspired and physical hockey but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome as they dropped game one by a final score of 4-1.
Game two was a rematch of last year's overtime championship final as the Warriors would face the Ice Raiders from Scarborough. Although a lingering rivalry was still visible this rematch was played under circumstances that wouldn't allow for a high intensity battle. As many of the Warriors had gone for a recovery nap in between games they were again depleted right from the opening draw. The Warriors would need to employ a rope a dope strategy fi they were going to pull of the win. The game started to plan with Stratford able to hang around and play sound positional hockey to keep things close. With roughly 5 minutes remaining in the period Scarborough cranked up the pressure and stormed the Stratford net to cash in on a rebound at the side of the net. The Warriors responded with some physical play including an earth shaking hit by a big defenceman in the corner. With a Stratford player in the box with three minutes left it was again the Warrior netminder putting on a clinic when he turned away a deflected point shot as well a three save sequence that looked as if his limbs were attached to the strings of a marionette. Unfortunately the Ice Raiders broke through when another deflected shot was saved but the rebound sat for an easy tap in with less than two minutes remaining in the period. At this point the old rivalry had been renewed and the physicality was turned up. The second period saw the two teams trading penalties as the rough stuff continued to escalate. With the Warriors on the power play and crashing the net for a rebound the puck found its way to the blade of a Stratford player who potted it to bring the team back to life now trailing 2-1. With the momentum trending in the right direction for the Warriors fate would provide a nearly ten minute delay to suck all of the energy and atmosphere out of the building while the referees and timekeepers sorted out their issues. When play resumed it was Stratford's turn to get into penalty trouble and the Ice Raiders were able to cash in with 15 seconds remaining on a 5 on 3. The third period saw both teams expressing their dislike for eachother as the penalty parade continued. The Scarborough team was able to win the offensive battle while the Warriors won the physical battle and punished them at every opportunity. The Ice Raiders skated away with the win.
Game 3 would see the Warriors take on the Garden City Falcons. With the Stratford roster consisting of 12 skaters the ice time would be abundant. The Warriors would need to pull off a win to give themselves a chance to move on to a semi final. The Warriors came out with some jump and were pressing and tracking the puck with vigor. A Falcon penalty with seven minutes remaining would give the Warriors the powerplay. the Warriors were able to generate a few quality chances but could put one in the back of the net. With less than five minutes remaining in the period it would be a Garden City point shot that was tipped through the five hole as the first goal of the game. The Falcons would press for more but the Warrior netminder would again keep his team close turning away shots with the left pad and not allowing rebounds from multiple point shots. With just over one minute remaining a clever play by a Stratford forward led to a great opportunity that rang the post. Coincidental penalties would end the period with Stratford trailing 1-0. An energetic opening draw for the second period saw a multiple players and a referee laid out on the ice. A falcon penalty at the thirteen minute mark gave the Warriors another chance on the powerplay. The Warriors demonstrated some good puck movement to create a couple opportunities but things were a little disjointed and they couldn't find the back of the net. Stratford continued to apply pressure and was working hard to create opportunities. With 8 minutes remaining in the period a determined rush by a Falcon player saw him get to the net and sneak a shot between the body and the blocker of the Warrior goalie. The two teams would trade penalties and crank up the physical play. After a nice play by a Stratford defenceman to break up a 3 on 1 it was a nice hustle play by a Stratford forward to cancel a possible icing that led to almost converting a wrap around attempt but when that didn't go the puck squirted to a waiting Warrior player who tapped it in to get the Warriors within 1 goal. Early in the third after another multiple save sequence by the Warriors netminder the Falcons were able to pot their third goal of the game. The teams would trade chances and bone jarring hits for the remainder of the game but ultimately the Warriors would skate away with the 3-1 loss.
An objective perspective would say that victory is relative to the circumstances. The circumstances that these boys persevered through this weekend should be admired and commended. Winning is great but healing is necessary. Rest up and know that each and every player has earned their title...War.ri.or - a brave or experienced soldier or fighter.