Coming off a great weekend in Brantford the 2002 Quick Feet
boys were at it again. This time they
were off to Stratford and again the boys wouldn’t disappoint!
In the first of four round robin games Quick Feet would battle it out with the Bluewater Sharks. The boys started off slow but Jason Taylor managed to bang in his own rebound half way through the first period to put Quick Feet on the board. Quick Feet would then take control in the second period on a flurry of activity. Evan Dewar started it with a nice wrap around on a Luke Eurig dump in. Then Blake Wideman one-timed a Jason Talyor pass and shortly there after Luke Eurig back handed a shot high into the top corner. The flood gates opened with 40 seconds remaining in the second period when Graham Gateman scored first on a scramble in front of the net. Ten seconds later Jason Taylor scored on a nice shot from the high circle and then 10 seconds after that Owen Rahn broke down the other side and wristed a shot to the top corner and finally with three seconds left in the second Brody Leblanc stepped out from behind the net and caught the goalie out of position. Four goals in 40 seconds! I couldn’t make notes that fast! Quick Feet didn’t slow down in the third when one minute into the frame Nathan Naves roofed a wrist shot from down low in the corner. That was followed by Owen Rahn tapping in a rebound and then Justin Rogers picking up his first of the season on a nice wrist shot that beat the goalie just over his pad. Finally Tatum Behan drilled a wrist shot to the top corner through traffic. The defensive unit of Reed Stauffer, Tatum Behan, Thomas Gangl, Owen Moyer, Hale Schoneck and Coleson Fischer shut down the Sharks offense and goaltender Caden Prues made a couple key saves to earn the shutout. Final score was 12-0 for Quick Feet. Great start to the tournament!
The next opponent for Quick Feet was Personal Best Aces. These two teams were a little more evenly matched as they battled through the first period with no score. As the second period went on the Quick Feet boys began to show signs of fatigue and surrendered a goal with two minutes remaining. The Quick Feet tanks were empty as they started the third and gave up the second goal of the game just a minute in. Quick Feet spent all their goals in the first game and couldn’t find the back of the net in this one. Strong goaltending by Tanner Bromfield kept Personal Best at only two goals. Final score was 2-0 for Personal Best Aces.
Saturday was a new day and first up for Quick Feet were the arch rivals from Maitland. These two teams always battle hard and provide great hockey entertainment. This game would be no different. It was Quick Feet that would strike first when Tatum Behan held the blue-line and then dumped it back in towards the net where it hit some skates and ended up in the back of the net. Late in the second Graham Gateman banged home a one-timer from Blake Wideman. The two goal lead didn’t last long when the Ice Sharks managed to get one back on a scramble in front of the net. But that would be as close as the Ice Sharks would get as Quick Feet scored three unanswered goals by Graham Gateman, Owen Rahn and Blake Wideman. Final score was 5-1 for Quick Feet. Another great team effort.
The final round robin opponent would be PIB Rams. Quick Feet was playing great hockey and this game would be no different. Quick Feet dominated early and were finally rewarded late in the first when Blake Wideman one-timed an Evan Dewar pass. The momentum carried into the second when Owen Rahn knocked in a Jason Taylor rebound. PIB responded with one before Quick Feet went on a four-goal run. First it was Luke Eurig after Brody Leblanc tied up the man in front, then it was Blake Wideman from behind the net, pausing and then top shelf, followed by Nathan Naves picking up his own rebound and then finished by Blake Wideman’s hat-trick on a break-away. Quick Feet fell asleep with less than two minutes to play and allowed PIB to pick up two goals. Final score was 6-3 for Quick Feet. Great game!
With 3 wins and 1 loss in round robin play, Quick Feet finished in 3rd place and earned a spot in Sunday’s semi-final.
Quick Feet would meet the Ice Kings in the semi-final. The boys were still a little sleepy when this one started and found themselves down by three after the first period. Quick Feet would get one back on the powerplay when Luke Eurig put a shot in the top corner on a nice feed from Coleson Fischer. Ice Kings would get one more before the end of the second. No scoring in the third and Quick Feet would end up with a 4-1 loss.
Another great tournament boys! Finishing in the top four is a great accomplishment. Keep up the hard work!