Nov 25, 2016 | Vonnie Crawford | 962 views
SMALL TEAM, BIG ICE SURFACE = WIN FOR REBELS
The Barry’s Construction Atom LL#1 Rebels played an away game against Owen Sound LL#1 on Saturday November 12. Undaunted by the enormous ice surface of the Julie MacArthur Regional Rec Centre and the 16 player OS roster, our Rebels took to the ice with enthusiasm, energy and class
The boys played another clean game with no penalties and showed great sportsmanship. The first period was action packed, with the Attack's 5 extra skaters allowing them to constantly present our boys with fresh foes. The Rebels rose to the challenge, and showed just how much strength and endurance they've been able to build with their small-but-mighty 10 skater roster. The offensive lineup of Sam Potter, Connor Thede and Sasha McMurray kept constant pressure on the Attack, forcing them to play in their own end more often than not. Our defensive crew of Jordan Brown, John Farmer, Jeffrey Rodger and Sheldon Rodger supported each other through the hard skating of that big ice, and made sure that goalkeeper Danny Wallis didn't have to face the same kind of pressure encountered by the harried OS minder. The second period found the offensive line of Felix Moore, Trevor McCarthy and Jackson Gordon ready and willing to make their mark, with our first goal by Gordon at 9:14. The third period was lead off by our second goal of the game, scored by McCarthy and assisted by Gordon. The latter half of the third period found our Rebels understandably tired after hard skating with few breaks on that big ice, and the Attack were able to score their only goal of the game. Final 2-1 Rebels!
Saturday November 19 saw your Barry's Construction Atom LL#1 Rebels heading down to Hanover for the tournament. Their first matchup was against Barrie, in a very close contest. The prowess of Sheldon Rodger, John Farmer, Jordan Brown and game MVP Jeffrey Rodger was apparent as the defence absolutely dominated throughout two and a half periods of hockey. Our star AP Felix Moore demonstrated the speed, smarts, skill and stick work of a player many years his senior. There was some confusion as to which of our two goals in the first period was counted and which disallowed. In the end it was a beautiful backhand shot by Sasha McMurray (assisted by Connor Thede) which was allowed to stand as our first of the game, while a big goal by Sam Potter was disallowed. The Rebel's next goal was mid-way through the second period, an excellent piece of teamwork as Trevor McCarthy scored with the assistance of double-threat Jordan Brown. The big ice and the extra 5 skaters fielded by the Barrie club began to show in the latter half of the third period. Barrie star player #14 managed to score two quick goals, tying up the game and sending it into overtime. The 5 minute, 4-on-4 overtime was action-packed but scoreless, bringing our Rebels and netminder Danny Wallis into the pressure of a shootout situation. Wallis delivered a bravura performance, bringing his total saves for the day to 14 and completely shutting out the Barrie team's shootout efforts. Although slotted as 4 and 5 in our shootout list, neither Brown nor McMurray was needed as first Jackson Gordon scored on his shootout attempt, then Sam Potter got his revenge and finally McCarthy delivered the coup de grace making it a 3-0 shootout.
The afternoon of the Hanover tournament saw our tired but willing Barry's Construction Rebels make the A-list of the tournament and be matched with yet another 14+ skater roster over the big, big ice of the Hanover P&H Centre. The boys were beset from the outset by the very skilled, smart passing and very physical South Bruce Blades. Despite unrelenting pressure from South Bruce, your Rebels were able to keep the game scoreless throughout the first period. The second period saw the first goal by the Blades early on, after which the Rebels again stepped up, keeping the Blades from scoring again until the final seconds of the period. The Rodger brothers shone, along with their defensive teammates Johnathan Farmer and Jordan Brown, protecting their goalie Danny Wallis from the relentless attacks of the South Bruce offence. Game MVP Wallis stopped an uncountable number of shots, and in a moment caught on camera delivered a beautiful poke check to prevent another scoring opportunity. Our offensive lineup of Felix Moore, Trevor McCarthy, Jackson Gordon, Sasha McMurray, Sam Potter and Connor Thede worked valiantly to turn the tide but were frustrated at every turn. By the middle of the third period our Rebels were down 3-0 despite their best efforts, and both their exhaustion and their many bumps and bruises began to tell their tale. South Bruce continued to press with their combination of size, strength and speed and they were able to pad their victory with an additional three goals in the dying minutes of the third period, for a final score of 6-0.
Our boys came away from the tournament with a 1-1 record and the pride of knowing we'd played on the A-side of the event. Every game they play this team looks faster, smarter and more capable. This is going to be a season to remember