Dec 01, 2017 | Karin Stockwell | 902 views
A weekend of ups and downs!
The Howell Transport TCDMHA Midget LL Rebels went to
extremes in back-to-back games last weekend.
You name it, they experienced it: ahead/behind, up a goal/down a goal,
domination/frustration. Play went back-and-forth
like ping-pong or tennis, and up-and-down like a see-saw or a … well, you get
the idea.
In the first game on Saturday against West Grey, the Rebels shut down the opponents in what has become their trademark style: great puck possession, relentless forechecking and backchecking, and strong defensive play – including stellar goaltending by netminder, Devin Early. It wasn’t until late in the second that West Grey found a chink in the Rebels’ armour, putting up one before both teams headed to the dressing rooms for the second period flood.
The third period was still anybody’s game. West Grey managed to ping one in off the post before the Rebels found their way onto the scoreboard with a goal by Josh Currie assisted by teammates Jake Hartman and Brodey Barwick. Josh hit the post on another attempt later in the period, but this one stayed out. In the end it came down to mere inches – a post goal that went in and one that stayed out. Final score: West Grey 2 and TCDMHA 1.
The second game of the weekend against Bruce Peninsula on Sunday saw the Rebels open with the same domination. This time the boys started the scoring on a goal by Josh Currie, assisted by Jeremy Kirk. Bruce Peninsula was able to tie up the score before the end of the first period, but the Rebels exploded during the second, taking the lead on a goal by Chris Hardman from Duncan Martin. The Rebs widened their lead when Theodore Stockwell batted in a rebound, set up by Josh Currie and Hunter Courtney.
Playing their usual gentlemanly style of clean hockey, the boys managed to avoid the penalty box despite the increasingly rough play out on the ice. The on-ice antics continued into the third period, however, and the team soldiered on despite the bumps and bruises that began to take their toll. The opponents scored three unanswered goals and went on to win 4-3.
If last weekend's doubleheader showed us anything, it’s how well the Rebels are starting to play together as a team. As Brodey Barwick’s Poppa says, those games were definitely winnable. The Rebels clearly know how to take the lead; now it’s just a matter of keeping a tight hold on it. Go do it, Rebels!