Today we were welcomed back to Port Dover for a match up against the Port Dover Pirates.
The game started like a bad game of battleship by both teams. Period 1
Port Dover- PD1 miss
Ingersoll- IE1 miss
Then the second period started and by the end our Express made a bunch of Pirates walk the plank.
The first period saw two teams practice their puck control and skating. No one wanted to be the first to take a shot. That had the first period see no scoring. Then the flood gates opened!
The second saw our little Express train figure out if you put a puck on the net it might actually go in.
#2 Will Johnson opened the scoring with a assist from #14 Dylan Lale.
The second goal came on a new play that today's center #2 Will Johnson put together with some of the drills that he sees in practice. I will call "Around the Will" with some nifty stick handling Will skated around the face-off circle avoiding a pile of sailors, then throwing the puck towards the net setting up #14 Dylan Lale for his first of the game.
Another quick goal came from #6 Wyatt Thompson to extend the lead to 3.
Four minutes later #10 Jonah Martire jumped into the action. Then #2 Will Johnson let a shot lose that hit the goal tender and proceed to spin on the goal line that seemed like a eternity before spinning over the line.
Not nine seconds later #10 Jonah Martire added his second of the game. The seventh goal of the period came on only the second assisted goal (according to the score sheet) #6 Wyatt Thompson assisted by #16 Sam House. Then #19 Brandon Plaquet scored two goals and #6 Wyatt Thompson add one to end the second period. Leaving the score at 10-0.
The third started out quickly for our Express with #6 Wyatt Thompson scoring just 45 seconds into the period. At 7:51 #2 Will Johnson completed his hat trick by getting his third goal of the game. Four minutes later after some helpful encouragement from the stands to fix his stick! #4 Urijah Jewkes jumped on to the score sheet with back to back goals.
Then after a game full of players getting in the way of his shot #7 Charlie "Chuck" Ashman finally got a puck through the crowd and into the net. Ending the third #6 Wyatt Thompson finished it out scoring his fifth goal of the match.
This game also saw #1 Christopher "The Wall" Hardeman add to his staggering total of shut outs of the year saving a double barrel of shots. Without the help of his blue line warriors keeping the puck out and way from him this would not have been possible.
Great game Express looking forward with what is to come in the new year.
Remember being part of games like this are great when on the winning side but some of us have been on the other end in the past and it is not so great. With that in mind here is my quote for the game:
“It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
― Babe Ruth