It’s been an up and down season for the Pee Wee Reps but the team continues to work hard while up against some strong competitors. On Wednesday, November 5th, Hagersville hosted Ingersoll who proved to be another fast skating, hard shooting team. While most of the first period was scoreless, the visitors picked up momentum and found the net with a minute left in the frame.
The intensity mounted into the
third but Keaton Garvie seized an opportunity and skated in to score giving
Hagersville a well earned tie.
The game remained close through the second then Ingersoll opened things up in the third with three goals in the first six minutes. Hagersville was able to counter with two of their own courtesy Jordan Guetter and Keaton Garvie. Zack Demille and Justin Wenzowski assisted the first goal and Jordan assisted on the second. Ingersoll added two more as the Hawks were handed a 6-2 loss.
Hagersville did not have long to bounce back as they headed to Paris the following evening. The team got off to a slow start allowing Paris to get the opening goal. The Hawks were behind 2-0 in the second when Justin Wenzowski and Zack Demille worked to get the puck to Jacob Gallagher whose back hand shot found the net. The team came out strong in the third as Jordan Guetter passed to Owen Prinzen who found Justin for a shot to tie. Jordan was in place to get the go ahead with assists to Keaton Garvie and Justin.
A quick goal from Paris tied things up but Hagersville re-took the lead on a goal from Keaton, assisted by Justin, with 16 seconds remaining. Paris fought back and tied things up again with just 3 seconds on the clock. Though they were looking for a win, it was good to see the Pee Wees earn a much needed point in a well played game.
Hagersville was back at home to Ayr on Wednesday, November 12th. If the team learned anything from the previous game it was to never give up and play hard till the final buzzer. Ayr scored early in the first on a bullet shot that no one had a chance to see. That lead held for most of the game as the visitors maintained control and put pressure on the Hawks. With just over a minute remaining, Keaton Garvie stuck in front of the net and was able to force the puck in for the tie, assisted by Justin Wenzowski.
If that wasn’t exciting enough, Keaton did it again on a power play in the final minute, assisted by Jordan Guetter and Justin. Ayr pulled the goalie but our side was able to maintain control in the offensive zone and Dusty McKeen shot for the empty net to seal the victory.
The Pee Wees spent the November 14th-15th weekend in the Port Dover Tournament with three challenging games to battle through. The Friday evening game was against Simcoe who skated fast and maintained pressure from start to finish, compiling five goals along the way. Hagersville couldn’t match that offense but had two of their own starting with a back hand effort by Travis Phibbs, assisted by Dusty McKeen and Emma Campbell. Dusty had the second goal, assisted by Emma and Travis.
Saturday proved to be a tough day for the Pee Wees as they faced two teams who brought offensive and physical pressure to the ice. In the afternoon, South Kent was a strong opponent and Hagersville was definitely the underdog. After a scoreless first, South Kent scored on a power play and defended that lead through much of the game.
Hagersville faced Penetang in the evening for what was one of their most physically challenging games of the season. Penetang prevailed as the winning team with Hagersville’s single goal coming off the stick of Justin Wenzowski during a power play.
While it was not a winning weekend, the team can be proud of how well they played. Logan Scott and Bradley Verral were excellent in net, defending numerous shots and making key saves under tremendous pressure. They players will continue to build on their strengths and strive to get better with every game as they prepare for league games and the Regional Silver Stick in early December