Riding a wave of fan support, the Tykes showed grit and determination on Friday evening in an action packed game against the Southwest Jets, held at the Allman Memorial Arena in Stratford, Ontario.
“It was clear from the puck drop that the Jets were a strong
offensive team”, said Coach Adam Stanley.
“If it weren’t for the great play provided in our defensive pairings and
solid goaltending by Austin Stewart, it could have been 15 nothing going into
the second period”. Stewart, who faced
18 shots in a period and a half of play held the Jets to three goals before
swapping places with Tyson Laver for the second half.
It was a second period scramble in front of the Jets
goaltender that resulted in a much needed goal for the Tykes, as Dante Hannivan
notched the first marker of the game for the Quick Feet squad. “The kids really loosened up after the first
period and played great positional hockey” commented trainer/goaltending coach
Nick Abell.
Late in the second, Lucas Bester, who was added to the
lineup, charged through the Jets defense and placed a shot on net. Aiden Stanley followed up on the rebound to
knock home the Tykes second goal of the game.
The crowd erupted as the scoring gap was closed within a goal. Before the second period drew to a close, the
Jets responded to the Tykes late offence with a goal of their own.
The third period saw end to end action from both teams and
shortly after the puck drop, Blake Elzinga lead a charge to the Jets netminder
as he sniped a third goal for the Tykes, his fifth of the season. With a 4-3 score on the line, the Jets proved
to die hard as they netted a fifth goal late in the third to seal the
game. Tyson Laver closed the game with
12 saves. Assists went to Lucas Moffat (2),
Elzinga, Bester and Hannivan.
“The whole team played great and they have proven their
determination thus far” noted Stanley. “All
of the coaches and parents are proud of each and every one of them”, he added.
Next on the agenda, the Tykes will head back to Stratford on
May 10th, to start the Thunder Spring Spectacular Tournament held by
Hockey Hi-lites.