The
Hagersville Atom CGC Local League 9 team participated in the Minto Township
tournament hosted in Harriston Ontario on January 27th.
The Hawks were matched to meet up against a team from Orono mid-morning with the possibility of earning themselves 10 points for the game. In the first Hagersville was strong, easily outplaying the Orono team but their goalie was not letting anything by and this period ended even with no goals for either side and giving each side a point a piece. In the second Quintin Salverda was the first Hawk to make things happen when he found the puck on the end of his stick for a breakaway goal he sent upstairs bar down. Emmitt Houwer added another to his team’s side less than a minute later in the second with the assistance of Emily Walton. Orono caught goaltender Calvin Eggink off guard as he wasn’t seeing a lot of action this game due to the strong defensive skills of Emily Walton, Treyanna Lee Green, Ryan Dewaard and Tristan Hoyt and they found a point on our end. The Hawks earned themselves 2 more points for their lead at the end of this period.
In the third, Salverda added to the Hawks side with another again unassisted and finished up his hat trick with one assisted by Drew Gibbons in the third. Player of the game was Emily Walton. First game 4-1 for the Hawks and 9 points on the board.
After a Subway lunch provided by the rink the Hawks were wild and ready for another game. This writer has to say this was by far the best game I’ve seen this team play all season as all the kids worked well together like a finely tuned instrument. The team needed to come out of this game with at least two points to move on to the Consolation round of the tournament and 10 points to move on to the championship side of the tournament to play for first or second. The team was set to play Guelph that appeared to be a tough team from a previously watched game were they took on Minto. Salverda having a terrific day was the first to put a goal on the Hawks side as he was paired up with Mason Mitchell and Cooper Woodward on his wings. The assist to the first goal was Mitchell’s. Mitchell added to his team’s side with a beauty shot of his own unassisted. Ryan Dewaard ended the first period with a goal under his belt as well assisted once again by Mitchell and Woodward. Calvin Eggink was cool and calm in net as Guelph tried to rush in several times to make something happen but Eggink was having none of that. By the end of the first the team had secured a spot in the Consolation round but continued to work for that Championship spot.
The magic continued in the second when Conner Rasberry found Guelph’s net with the help of Mitchell. Eggink continued to stand on his head with nothing going in from Guelph’s side and Mitchell landed another in the second with the assistance of Salverda. The team was up by 5 heading into the third but they needed to continue to win the periods and the game for all 10 points and their place in the Championship game.
The third started with Rasberry finding the right spot once again with the help of Mitchell less than a minute in. Salverda found the net again just over two minutes later with another as well with the help of Mitchell and Emily Walton. Salverda earned himself another hat trick before the final buzzer and Eggink earned himself a tournament shut out. Final score was a whopping 8-0 for the Hawks and they beat out Minto by just one point to play the championship game against a 20 point team from Listowel. Player of the game was Cooper Woodward.
The Championship game was a real nail biter for fans and the Hawks came out of the gate looking like they may have spent all their energy in the previous game. Listowel scored right off the first face off 11 seconds in and fans were beginning to worry that things may not go in the Hawks favor. With just over a minute left Salverda having a great tournament day rushed in on a breakaway and evened the board at 1.
In the second Emmitt Houwer gave his team the lead when he landed a nice shot with the help of Salverda. Conner Rasberry also found the net with a breakaway rush when he skated by all the Listowel players and made things happen unassisted. Eggink once again was amazing this game and shut the door with many shots wowing both sides of the crowd with his abilities. Houwer ended the second with another with the assistance of Rasberry and Devyn Russell but Listowel also managed to sneak 2 in this period and the score was 4-3 heading into the final period.
The third period was a real nail biter with a lot of action on both ends. Eggink continued to be phenomenal in net and nothing got past him this period even when the team from Listowel pulled their goalie for the added player with just over a minute left. The same was true on the other end as Listowel’s goalie did not let another from the Hawks through. As the final seconds ticked away the smell of victory was setting in for the young Hawks with one final swat of the puck to get it out of their end the buzzer sounded and equipment was flying everywhere as they realized what they had accomplished. With complete respect for the game and the other team the Hawks accepted their winnings with great tact and reverence. Player of the game was Calvin Eggink. Final score 4-3 for the Hawks and an amazing tournament win. Great job team.
The Hawks finished up their perfect hockey weekend being the Bench kids at the Hamilton Bulldogs game as they took on the Sarnia Sting on January 28th. The kids in all their excitement had the opportunity to observe the Bulldogs as they completed their pregame dry land training and sat in awe ice side on the Bulldogs bench watching them as they warmed up and completed their pregame rituals. The team was recognized for the weekend tournament win and waved from the jumbo tron as they were announced as the Bulldogs Bench Kids. Then they were all escorted to their seats enjoying the game until the end of the second when they were once again ushered below to meet some of the players between the second and third, able to ask questions, received a gift and had the chance to have various items autographed by the players in attendance. Although the Bulldogs did not come out victorious in their game the kids continued to cheer for them until the very end of the third. Great day Hawks and a perfect end to the weekend.