Fresh off an exciting victory against
their rivals, the Parry Sound Shamrocks, the Huntsville Novice Rep
Otters traveled southeast this past weekend in search of some royal
gold at the Annual Kings Tournament in Prince Edward County.
The team kicked off the tournament with
an early morning game against the high-flying Leitrim Hawks. Ben
Power set the pace for the team early when he coasted in all alone
and fired a blistering shot that narrowly missed the open corner of
the Hawks net.
Fellow winger, Abbigail Huke also had a great chance to put her team on the board with a solid rebound attempt near the end of the first.
The Hawks pressed hard throughout the first period but Otters net minder Riley Knox was unbeatable. Knox made several highlight saves early in the game including a brilliant stop on a deadly Hawks breakaway to keep the game scoreless heading into the second.
After adding the first marker of the game early in the period the Hawks were soaring. But with 4 minutes left in the opening frame, Logan Therrien clipped their wings when he tapped one in to knot the score at one apiece.
The Otters dynamic defensive duo of Cohen Poore and Ryley DiGiacomo were solid at the blue line, chasing numerous Hawks out of the Otters end. Poore and goaltender Ian Adams also teamed up late in the period to thwart a dangerous 3 on 1 offensive rush by the Hawks attackers.
The fiesty Otters forwards continued their dominant play in front of the Hawks net and with only minutes left in the third, Preston Standing fired a hard shot from the slot setting up Kalvin Crozier who buried the rebound for his first goal of the season. As the clock ran out, the Otters remained on top by a score of 2-1.
Game two saw the Otters face the Stirling Blues in a fast paced game of skill and determination. The Otters struck first when Jesse Taylor fired a top shelf zinger from just inside the blue line to give his team the early lead. Later in first, Otters centre Jackson Durnan tried to add to the tally as he weaved his way around 3 Blues' defence on route to the net only to be robbed by the Blues goaltender.
The non-stop action continued throughout the second period with equal pressure from both teams. Otters defenceman Nate Johnson showed incredible speed as he pushed the puck up the ice on an end-to-end rush before selflessly passing to teammate Cohen Poore for the shot.
But it was the Blues' who notched the next goal of the game as they managed to solve Knox late in the period to tie the game at one.
Tension mounted early in the third when captain Logan Therrien was hauled down in front of the net and was awarded a penalty shot. With the crowd on the edge of their seats, Therrien gave it his best shot but was turned away by the Blues goalie.
Despite a tremendous effort from the Otters squad, the Blues went on to capture the victory after scoring with only one minute remaining in the game. A tough loss for the team, but not enough to break their spirit heading into their third game of the day – a semi-final berth against the fiery Flames from Penetang.
The Otters gave their fans a lot to cheer about in the spirited semi-final game including a stellar goal from blue liner Gray Patey and phenomenal first goal of the season from fellow defenceman Cohen Poore.
The non-stop nail-biting action continued from start to finish but at the end of regulation time the two teams needed an overtime period to decide a 2-2 tie.
Otters Ben Power and Blake Punchard dominated the boards during the extra time digging out countless pucks from the corners and creating many offensive chances for the team. But at the end of overtime, the game was still tied at 2 apiece forcing a shootout to decide the final outcome.
After brilliant attempts by sharp shooters Jesse Taylor and Logan Therrien, the young squad surrendered a heartbreaking loss to the Flames by a score of 3-2.
Great Job Otters! Your hard work, determination and resilient spirit made us all very proud!!
Next up for the Novice Otters – a “three-in-three” series as the team faces off against South Muskoka Friday evening at the Jack, travel to Midland on Saturday and play host to Port Carling on Sunday.
Good Luck Otters!