News Bulletin
March 3, 2008
Minor Peewee Team Scores Huge Win
The Minor Peewee Predators struggled all season and had to settle for playing in the ETA playoffs. If that wasn’t bad enough, they were facing the Ajax/Pickering Raiders in the first round, from whom they had taken only one out of a possible 8 points all season. It looked like this 3 out of 5 series (6 points) might be a short one!
Game 1 was in Ajax on February 28th. The game started cautiously. Both teams were checking each other out, and no one could find the back of the net in the first period. Early in the second period, Ajax/Pickering made it 1-0, and then tallied again late in the period. The Predators had dug themselves a big hole. It is not easy to come back from being down 2-0. However, someone inspired them in the break! Two minutes into the third, Jake Shaw scored from Evan Lade and Tyler Conn to make it 2-1. That seemed to open the flood gates. Just 19 seconds after the first goal, Walker Davison scored, with Lade assisting again on the goal and knotted it at 2-2. There was no stopping the Predators now. The Predators took the lead 3-2, just 57 seconds after their second goal, when Jake Busch scored from Tristan Rogers and Runar Lorette. The final Predators tally came 90 seconds after the third goal when Shaw scored his second goal from Davison and Lade. The Raiders made it close by scoring one more, but it was a case of too little, too late, and they could not get another one by goaltender Connor Christanson.
Game 2 took place at Rama Arena on March 1st. Ajax/Pickering again jumped out in front late in the first period with the only goal of that period, but in the second period all heck broke loose: in the space of six minutes the Predators scored four unanswered goals. Michael Kruger opened the scoring when set up by Rogers and Brock Heshka. Davison then put the Predators ahead 2-1, with assists going to Lade and Shaw. A couple of minutes later Busch found the back of the net, unassisted. Just 90 seconds after that, Davison scored his second from Shaw and Lade. With just over a minute left in the second period, Lade scored again for the Predators when set up by Shaw. The second ended with the score 5-1 for the Predators, with Ajax/Pickering in shock. Ajax/Pickering scored a meaningless goal in the third period as the Predators had them down and weren’t going to let them back in the game. Christanson back-stopped the team again for the win.
Game 3 of the series was back in Ajax. We couldn’t see any brooms out for the sweep, but we are sure some were concealed under the heavy winter jackets. The Raiders knew they had to come out fast and keep the lead to win this game. Rogers of the Predators put a damper on that in the first period when Conn set him up for the opening goal of the game. Ajax/Pickering, playing with desperation, scored 90 seconds later to knot the score at 1-1. Rogers decided to put the Raiders back in their place 12 seconds later, scoring his second from Lorette. The Predators were ahead 2-1 going into the second frame. The Predators increased their margin to 3-1 when Davison scored on a goal from Shaw and Conn. Not to be outdone, the Raiders then responded with two quick goals to make it 3-3. Not wanting the Raiders to have the final say of the period, Kruger scored again for the Predators from Conn, to lead 4-3 going into the final period. The third period saw neither team score until, with 16 seconds left in the game, Lorette scored unassisted into the empty net to make the final 5-3. The goaltending chores were ably handled by Etienne Ma in this game.
GAME - SET - MATCH! You can never explain how a team that loses 3 games and ties one with Ajax/Pickering during the season, and is out-scored during those four games 18 goals to 12, can come back and sweep them in 3 games, and outscore them 14-8. I think it has something to do with it being our game, being Canadian, and a never say die attitude! Well done boys! Good luck next round.
