Nov 09, 2010 | dslipacoff | 1093 views
Minor Midgets Compete in Bauer International Invite
Strong Showing by Jr. Sting in Chicago
View from the Bench
by: Doug Slipacoff
The Lambton Jr. Sting Minor Midgets travelled to Chicago last weekend to compete in the Bauer International Invite, finishing the weekend with a 2-1-1 record in the Elite AAA Division. The tournament featured 408 teams in total, with 40 teams competing in the Minor Midget Elite AAA division from throughout North America and Europe. The Jr. Sting competed against programs from Pennsylvania, California, Russia, and Michigan.
Jr. Sting vs. Pittsburgh Jr. Pens
A combination of physical play and disciplined hockey enabled the Jr. Sting to shake off some early rust and skate out to a commanding 3-0 first period lead. Without looking back the Minor Midgets skated to a convincing 5-0 first game victory. Goal scorers for the Jr. Sting were Cody Perriam, Cleo Gubbels, Corey Pawley, Joe De Sena, and Adam Lane. Braden Palocz was unbeaten in net, recording the shut-out.
Jr. Sting vs. California Heat
Despite falling behind 3-0 in the first period, the Sting were able to utilize tough physical play and relentless offensive zone puck pursuit in the second and third periods to fight back and and turn up some heat of their own, winning the game 4-3 for a very exciting victory. Finding the back of the net for the team were Corey Pawley, earning a hat trick including the game winner, and Troy Whitely who sniped the equalizer. Joel Sowinski displayed solid goal-tending and executed some very timely saves in the second and third periods.
Jr. Sting vs. HC Moscow RUS
The second day of the tournament didn't begin as promising for the team as they came up against a hot goalie and a highly skilled Moscow team, dropping their first game of the tournament 6-1. Despite the loss the team played hard however was unable to capitalize on their offensive chances. Penalties and ineffective defensive play proved too difficult to overcome. Ryan Frizzell scored the lone Jr. Sting goal.
Jr. Sting vs. Detroit Compuware
In what turned out to be the most exciting game of the tournament, the Jr. Sting battled tooth and nail and skated to a 3-3 tie against a very powerful Detroit Compuware team, who had convincingly defeated the Russian team the previous day. The game was a culmination of total team effort as the players used a combination of great physical play and timely scoring to skate out to a 3-1 first period lead despite giving up an early first goal.
Compuware was able to battle back in the second period, capitalizing on some defensive zone and penalty killing miscues, but were unable to earn a victory from a strong Jr. Sting team. Tallying goals for Lambton were Kirk Dorman, Corey Pawley, and Cody Perriam. Joel Sowinski was solid in net.
Overall, the coaching staff was very pleased with the team's effort and outcome in Chicago. Although we didn't achieve our ultimate goal of advancing to the quarter-finals and winning the tournament, the team played hard and produced a strong showing against some high-quality programs. With the exception of one game, the players displayed consistent team effort and were supportive of each other throughout. We feel we continue to take steps in the right direction and are showing consistent improvement in our systems play.
Thank you to all who were able to make the trip to Chicago to attend the Bauer International Invite and we hope you found the experience to be positive and worthwhile.
We look forward to continuing our strong League play as we continue to build toward our next tournament in Waterloo for the Golden Puck.
See you around the rink and keep up the great work!
Coach Slip
P.S. Mo'Vember is off to a great start and the guys mustaches are starting to look pretty patchy! Pictures soon to follow!