It's been 6 years since the last time the Midget B team won a tournament - and I wasn't there see it. The Storm defeated the Peterborough Ice Kats by a score on 4-3 to win the Clarington Tournament. The Peterborough team was a powerhouse last season wining the LLFHL East Division and a bronze at the Championships. So it was an incredible weekend and a great way to start the season.
It was a classic see saw battle that went down to the wire, In the first minute of the game, Amanda to put the Storm ahead. Late in the same period Mari scored again on a good three passing play from the corner. However early in the second period the Storm fell asleep and the Ice Kats scored 2 goals in just 34 seconds to tie it 2-2. Later in the period Sheri shot the puck from the halfboards and it went off of Gabby's glove into the net. In the third, the Ice Kats' top players went around the Storm defense and cut towards the net to score and tie up the game again. However, the Storm pulled out the win with a terrific scoring play. From behind her own net, Lauren N threw the puck up to Amanda at the blue line who found Mari alone in neutral ice. Mari went in for a breakaway and beat the goalie high to restore the one goal margin with less than 3 minutes remaining. The Ice Kats pulled their goalie but couldn't penetrate the Storm defense which was employing the famous West German trap (also known as the Seigfried line).
There many stars in this game. Mari was her usual offensive threat with 2 goals including the winner. Linemates Amanda (1 goal, 2 assists) and Genevieve (2 assists) also stood out. Lauren N had a great game including starting the play that led to the winning goal. Asia was also outstanding and made some critical saves including one with her head and another on her back with her pads.
Congratulations to all the girls who worked so hard to get here. This has been a long and difficult journey for many of the players that began last season as a rebuild year. The girls stuck together and the rewards are just beginning to come. In particular, a special appreciation to our third year players Mari, Sarah-Kate, Sheri and Jackie who who were committed to help rebuild this team.
Hey look I was there after all!
