Dec 31, 2010 | dslipacoff | 3809 views
Minor Midget '95's Defeat First Place Alliance Elgin Middlesex Chiefs; Second Place Provincially Ranked Don Mills Flyers!
The Lambton Jr. Sting 95's concluded a busy and very successful December, continuing to build on previous successes by posting a combined 10-4-2 record in league and tournament play.
Lambton Jr. Sting Minor Midgets conclude a busy and successful December, capped off by impressive showing at Toronto Marlies Holiday Classic.
View From the Bench
December saw the '95's finish the month with a 4-2-0 record, posting wins vs. the Sun County Panthers 2-1, Huron Perth Lakers 11-5, and Chatham Cyclones, 5-1. The most exciting and successful league game of the month saw the Minor Midgets defeat first place Alliance Elgin Middlesex Chiefs on the road, skating to a convincing 4-1 win.
In tournament play, early December saw the Minor Midgets compete in the Waterloo Gold Puck. The team played well and earned solid victories in main round play over the London Jr. Knights, Grey Bruce Highlanders, and Toronto Titans. Despite a very strong showing and completing the main round with a 3-1 record, the '95's fell one point short of progressing to the play-off round.
The highlight of December for the '95's came with their very impressive showing at the Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic Tournament in Toronto, where the Minor Midgets progressed to the conference semi-finals of the tournament. The '95's finished the main round in first-place in their division, which included the second-place provincially ranked Don Mills Flyers, the highly ranked St. Catharines Jr. Falcons, Clarington Toros, and highly ranked Sudbury Wolves in their cross-over main-round game.
Tournament action for the 95's began on Day 2 of the tournament, with the Jr. Sting posting back-to-back ties vs. the highly ranked St. Catharines Jr. Falcons and traditionally tough Sudbury Jr. Wolves. Both contests saw the Jr. Sting maintain a one goal lead well into the final minutes of the game, only to see their opponents capitalize on defensive miscues, resulting in tie scores for both games. Despite leaving 2 points on the table, the boys played well against these two powerful teams, and were still in a good position entering Day 3.
The third day of the tournament saw the Jr. Sting play their only scheduled game that day, vs. the powerful second place provincially ranked Don Mills Flyers, coached by ex-NHL player Ty Domi. The guys came out of the gates fast and hard, matching Don Mills stride for stride and chance for chance. In what turned out to be a tight back and forth game, the team capitalized on a power-play opportunity in the second period. In a very tense final 3 minutes of the third period that saw the Jr. Sting fighting tooth and nail against a 6 on 4 Don Mills advantage, the 95's were able to clear the puck out of their zone and score an empty net goal to cement an incredibly exciting and well-deserved victory in front of a packed arena.
The fourth day of the tournament saw the Jr. Sting vs. the Clarington Toros, with the opportunity to win their division and advance to the conference quarter-finals, featuring the top 16 teams following main round play, from an initial main round of 54 teams. Following a physically and emotionally draining game vs. the Flyers the evening before, the team struggled with a lack of energy and execution vs. a tough Toros team. Trailing 1-0 with just under 3 minutes left in the third period, the boys scored back-to-back goals with their net empty, knowing they needed to emerge with a win in order to advance to the conference quarter-final, and added a third goal to finish the game with a 3-1 victory.
In their second game on Day 4, the top 16 conference quarter-final teams saw the Jr. Sting matched up vs. the highly provincially ranked Markham Majors. Despite Markham's hot start and the boys giving up the first goal of the game, the boys reacted with determination and perseverance, scoring 3 unanswered goals in the second period and adding one in the third, cruising to a 4-2 win.
The boys' magical run saw them take on a very tough and disciplined Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs in their conference semi-final in their third very demanding game of the day. Despite a hot start and numerous scoring chances by the Jr. Sting, the Bulldog's goalie played well and was able to shut the door and keep his team in the game, as the Bulldogs eventually skated to a 3-0 victory. The game finally brought the tournament to a close for a relentless and disciplined Jr. Sting, who turned in a total team effort all tournament long, from the goalies, through to the defense and the forwards.
Out of 54 teams entered in the Minor Midget Division, the Lambton Jr. Sting '95's finished the tournament as one of the top 8 teams in the tournament. They were one of only two Alliance teams to advance to the conference playoff rounds, and the only Alliance team to go undefeated in main round play and win their main round division.
The coaching staff presented a challenge to the team prior to the Marlie Classic to raise their game to new levels, and to show up and compete to the very best of their abilities. We couldn't be more proud of the way the boys responded. The entire team demonstrated to everyone what we as a coaching staff already knew - that we can compete with and defeat any team in the province.
Despite our success we must remain level-headed and continue to show up each and every day for practice ready to work our hardest, always with the goal of becoming better hockey players. A strong finish to our regular season is a must as we prepare for our march through the playoffs to the Alliance Championship, and our ultimate goal of competing in the OHL Cup.
Congratulations to all on a great finish to 2010 - see you in 2011!
Belief is a powerful thing boys.....together we can achieve anything! Believe it.
"Be Relentless"
Coach Slip