Silver Stick Finalists, News, Peewee Rep, 2017-2018 (Hagersville Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2017-2018 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Dec 04, 2017 | jason | 1415 views
Silver Stick Finalists
What a tremendous weekend. Unfortunately we ran into a strong team from Stayner and lost in Overtime of the Finals.

A trip up to Wasaga Beach for the Silver Stick brought some great hockey. 

The weekend started off with a match-up against Stayner, who clearly came ready to play. They opened the scoring in the first and kept on coming. As much as we tried to compete with them, the refs did us no favors with a couple of goals not allowed for us, and a few dubious calls, left us with a 5-1 loss. 

Facing a team from Center Hastings, with a trip to the semi finals on the line with a victory, or a loss mean heading to a consolation game, the kids were determined to play meaningful hockey on the Sunday. A quick 2-0 lead was gained in the first period, before we relaxed for a few minutes in the second period and allowed Center Hastings to tie it up. 
That was enough for our guys to say no way, and turn it up a notch and pull away for a 6-2 victory and a berth in the semi finals.

The semi finals were early Sunday morning, so after a good night sleep in the hotel the kids were up and ready to go. The Creemore squad who finished first in their pod, and with only 3 losses on the season, came in rather confident that they would secure themselves a berth in the finals and were letting everyone in the lobby area know it.
Well these Hawks would have nothing of it. After a quick breakdown lead to a goal by Creemore less than a minute into the game the Hawks took over. While we were pressing and pressing and not being able to bang one home, Creemore snuck another one in for a 2-0 lead at the end of the first. The second period brought more pressure from the Hawks and we were able to cut the lead in half going into the third. 
The message was simple. Keep working hard as we were dominating the game and the goals will come. Well they sure did in the third. Creemore scored on a breakaway to make it 3-1 a little over a minute into the period, but the Hawks responded quickly with a couple of goals to tie it up. Creemore inched ahead again 4-3. The Hawks responded. And responded. And responded, and before Creemore knew what happened it was 6-4 Hawks. The pressure had gotten to Creemore and the Hawks had broken thru. It continued with an empty net goal to make it 7-4 and a spot in the Finals against Stayner.

All we could do was wait around for a early evening game, and what a game it was. Hagersville opened the scoring early in the game to make it 1-0 at the end of the first. Stayner responded back in the second on a rebound to make it 1-1 heading into the third period of an intense game. 
Austin Topp was standing on his head saving everything they were throwing his way as the Hawks continued to battle. Unfortunately with a little over 5 minutes to go Stayner broke thru on a quick feed to the front of the net and they snapped it home. The Hawks weren't ready for this game to end, and with the goalie pulled, and a face off in Creemore end, magic happened. A won face-off, a quick shot on net and a rebound buried in and only 6 seconds after the play was drawn up, the game was tied 2-2 and heading for overtime. 
With both fans and players standing and watching in agony, the game ended on a goal mouth scramble. A breakaway was stopped and a pile up ensued around the net and it was Stayner players who were left to celebrate.
It was a tremendous game, and while no official shot tally was there, the Wasaga Beach director had Stayner at 55 shots on net when they scored the goal to go ahead 2-1 in the third, so the Hawks should hold their heads up high knowing that they were able to push such a strong team, and the Heavy Favorite coming into the tournament to Overtime of the finals. 

It was a performance that all the Hawks should be proud of. It is a performance that I know the coaching staff was proud of. 

Finalists is nothing to sneeze at and will be something for these kids to remember forever. 
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