The Huntsville Novice Rep Otters are
eagerly anticipating the start of the New Year after finishing out
2012 on a four game win streak. A busy December schedule saw the
talented young squad face some tough competition including the Parry
Sound Shamrocks, Haliburton Highland Storm and the Port Carling
Thunder, but after several hard fought games, the Otters are sitting pretty in a tie for first place atop the OMHA leader board.
The Otters first game of the holiday season saw the team pitted against their toughest rivals this year, the Parry Sound Shamrocks on Saturday, December 8th at the Bobby Orr Community Centre.
The Otters showed tremendous pressure in the first period but it was the clever clovers that notched the first tally of the game past a sliding Otters net minder. With less than two minutes left in the opening frame, Ben Power tried to knot the game at one with a blistering shot from the point that narrowly missed the open corner of the Shamrocks net while winger Kalvin Crozier couldn't quite stuff in the wrap around attempt.
The Parry Sound goaltender faced a barrage of shots from the Otter attackers during the second. Sharp shooters Gray Patey, Logan Therrien, Abbigail Huke, and Jesse “Juicy” Taylor were firing from all angles in an attempt to get their team on the board. But lady luck had other ideas and the showy Shamrocks managed to bulge the twine once again to go up by two at the end of twenty minutes.
The Otters brilliant back stops, Riley Knox and Ian Adams made countless highlight reel saves to keep the game close and despite a few last minute attempts by Blake Punchard and Preston Standing to find the back of the Parry Sound net, the Otters fell to the green and white by a score of 2-0.
Next up for the Otters was a mid-week tilt against the visiting Haliburton Highland Storm at the Jack Bionda rink on Wednesday, December 12th. The Otters took a stranglehold of the Storm early in the game with 5 unanswered first period goals from shooters Preston Standing, Cohen Poore, Logan Therrien (2), and Jackson Durnan.
During the second and third periods, the Otters put on a clinic of selfless play with text book passing from players Cohen Poore, Therrien, Durnan and Ryley DiGiacomo as well as some dependable defensive play from blue liners Nate Johnson and Gray Patey. The Otters tremendous all-around team effort resulted in six more goals before the final buzzer sounded helping the team record a convincing 11-2 win over the Storm.
The following weekend saw the Otters tangle with the Port Carling Thunder on Saturday, December 15th and face another battle with the Haliburton Highland Storm on Sunday, December 16th on the 'big ice' at home.
In the third match-up of the season for these teams, the Otters knew it would not be easy to ignore the rumbling Thunder or blow off the Storm as both were out to avenge their two previous losses to the Huntsville team.
But over the course of the weekend, the Otters proved that they too are a force of nature by steadily adding two more notches to the win column following a 4-0 defeat over an improving Port Carling squad and a solid 7-1 romp over the Storm.
To round out the year, the Otters traveled west to Port Carling for their final meeting with the Thunder on Saturday, December 29th.
The Otters got off to a quick start with a goal by Jackson Durnan less than 10 seconds into the game. But the lone marker was quickly matched as the determined Port Carling offense finally solved Ian “Hashbrown” Adams for the equalizer before the end of the period.
The stubborn Otters defense led by Nate "The Great", showed their strength and skill by successfully killing off a penalty midway through the second to keep the game tied at one setting the stage for Taylor to light the lamp on a dish from Durnan behind the net before the end of two.
Late in the second, the Thunder threatened to tie the game again as a streaking Port Carling attacker went in all alone on Adams. But the spunky Otters net minder came up big with a brilliant glove save to preserve the Otters lead heading into the third.
The third period saw the Otters once again put the pedal down and take control of the game scoring three unanswered goals by snipers Therrien, Poore and DiGiacomo to round out the year with a 5-1 win.
Next up for the Novice Otters is a three-in-three series this weekend with games against the Midland Centennials, Haliburton and Parry Sound. Go Otters Go!!!