After wrapping up a successful regular season with
back-to-back wins, the Huntsville Atom Rep Otters were eager to test their
talent at the world’s largest weekend Atom tournament – the 56th
Annual Liftlock Tournament in Peterborough, Ontario.
The Otters first game of round-robin play saw the team face
off against a familiar opponent, the Oro Thunder. The Otters and the Thunder had battled
previously at the Oro Early Bird tournament with the Otters winning bragging
rights and eventually claiming gold at the tournament.
The Otters looked confident right from the start and within the first 30 seconds of the game, the Otters had jumped out to a 2-0 lead. The Otters would add to their lead midway through the 2nd period, allowing the team a bit of breathing room heading into the third.
The Otters strong defensive effort and solid goaltending kept the Thunder off the board until the dying minutes of the game when the opponents final netted one of their own, bringing the final score to 3-1 in favour of the Otters.
Next up for the Otters was a second re-match from a previous tournament. This time the Huntsville squad found themselves paired with the Brockville Braves, whom they defeated at the Prince Edward County Milk tournament in October.
The Braves were hungry for revenge but learned early that the Otters like to draw first blood. Midway through the opening frame, the Otters had already mounted a 2-0 lead before a scramble in front of the net brought the Braves within one.
During the subsequent two periods, the Otters penalty box saw plenty of visitors thanks to some strict officiating. When all was said and done, the Otter offenders had been tagged with 22 minutes in penalties, forcing the Otters to play the majority of the game shorthanded.
But the revolving door of the penalty box did little to squash the Otters spirit. After some feisty defensive work and brilliant goaltending, the Otters managed to come out on top with a convincing 6-3 win.
In their final game of round robin play, the Otters met up with the Stirling Blues in an evenly matched duel.
The Otters were caught on their heels early when, for the first time in the tournament, the Huntsville team surrendered the first goal of the game only 18 seconds into the first period. But the quick goal from their opponents only sparked the Otters fire and before the end of the game, the team had potted seven goals to keep their winning streak alive with a 7-2 victory.
At the end of regular play, the undefeated Otters found themselves at the top of their bracket and awaited their next opponent for a semi-final match-up on Sunday morning.
The Otters were ready for some tough competition and were determined to battle their way to the finals. But first the Huntsville boys would have to get past the gritty Ottawa Silver Seven.
The fast paced semi-final saw some exciting end-to-end action with both teams swapping chances early, and at the end of 10 minutes, the scoreboard remained blank.
Throughout the final two periods, the talented Ottawa squad found the back of the Otters net five times with the Otters only adding one tally of their own. The 4 goal lead was insurmountable for the Otters and the Huntsville team couldn’t bounce back. Despite adding one more marker on a penalty shot in the final moments of the game, the Otters succumbed to the Silver Seven by a score of 5-2.
Huntsville Otters = Pride and Hard Work. Great job boys!!