Feb 01, 2014 | jrupert | 375 views
Playoff time for Express
The Glenda Ponsonby Oxford/Ingeroll Realty Ingersoll Express Peewee Rep team continued their run through the 2013-2014 SCMHA playoffs on January 16, hosting the Caledonia Thunder. In addition to Caledonia, Ingersoll will play a home and home pair of games against each of Ayr, St. George, Tillsonburg, Twin Centre and Plattsville.
In Game #2 of the playoffs against Caledonia, Ingersoll jumped on the board first, when Keegan Clark took a drop pass from Clyton Hammond and pumped a wrist shot in past the goalie on the stick side. Caledonia answered partway through the secon period, but then it was all Ingersoll. First Parker Hodgson dumped the puck into the Cledonia zone where Justin Holmes was able to get hold of it and put a backhand past the netminder. Then on the powerplay with 40 seconds left in the period Max Shelton stepped into a lazy puck laying in the low slot and fired a wrist shot over the trapper of the goalie. Parker Hodgson rounded out the scoring in the third with a low shot off his off wing on the power play. Final score, Ingersoll 4 Caledonia 1.
Next up for Ingersoll was a trip to Ayr to face their rival Flames the following night. The game did not go well for the Express, who were kept off the scoreboard. The team played well but just didn't generate any chances. Final score, 3-0 Ayr.
The team hosted Plattsville on January 23rd, after missing some games that were cancelled due to other team's commitments with the OMHA playdowns The teams played through a scoreless first period, but then early in the second period, Brennan Rupert passed the puck out front on the powerplay, where it was knocked in through the goalie's pads on the combined efforts of Justin Holmes and Symon Hutcheson. With 10 seconds left in the second period, Alex Foster added to Ingersoll's lead with a wrist shot coming off the left wing side and beating the goalie high on the glove side. Early in the third period, Parker Hodgson went coast to coast on a short handed rush, netting the puck and putting Ingersoll up by 3. Plattsville finally beat Ingersoll netminder Logan White midway through the third period, but late in the third Justin Holmes restored the three goal lead for Ingersoll on another short handed play, and Ingersoll finished the game winning 4-1.
After some practice sessions and some more cancelled/postponed games, it was time for Ingersoll to hop into the hunt for the OMHA playoff as well. Following a first round bye, Ingersoll was set to play the Tavistock Titans. The first game for that series took place on Thursday, January 30th.
A minute and a half into the first period Tavistock took the lead when a shot beat Ingersoll goaltender Jayden Purdy high on the stick side. You could see in Purdy's face that he wanted that shot back, and from that point on the determination crept into him that he wasn't going to let another one get by him like that. It wasn't until late in the second period, with the teams playing 4 on 4 hockey, that Ingersoll was finally able to get on the scoreboard, when Clayton Hammond was able to find the five hole on a shot. Then, after another tense 15 minutes of back and forth hockey, Keegan Clark was able to find the puck on a great second effort and put it over the sprawling goalie, putting Ingersoll ahead 2-1. The last 27.8 seconds of the game was tight,Tavistock pulling their goalie and going for the extra goal, but after some fine defensive and goaltending play by Ingersoll, the team was able to hold on to the 2-1 score for the victory.
Next game for Ingersoll is another OMHA game against Tavistock, when they travel to Tavistock on Saturday, February 1st for a lunchtime game.