PeeWee Express Advance to OMHA Semifinal, News, Ponting Financial Group - Pee Wee Rep, 2014-2015 (Ingersoll & District Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2014-2015 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Feb 21, 2015 | jrupert | 1174 views
PeeWee Express Advance to OMHA Semifinal
The Ponting Financial Group Ingersoll Express PeeWee Rep team closed out their OMHA Playoff quarter-final series against Simcoe this week in exciting style, in games that included overtime, a penalty shot, and late period comebacks.

On Tuesday, February 17, Ingersoll hosted Simcoe, looking to close out the series with a win.  The team was short a couple of regular players, but had the luxury of using 3 atom players to try to fill the gaps.  Things started off well for Ingersoll, with a power play goal and a regular strength goal by Brennan Rupert in the first period putting the team ahead 2-0 at the end of the first frame.  Simcoe responded quickly in the second period though, notchingone :42 seconds into the period to close the gape to 2-1.  Ingersoll's Parker Hodgson regained the 2 goal cushion five minutes later, and everything seemed to be going Ingersoll's way.  But just minutes later, Simcoe found the back of the net again, and closed the gap back up.  That was how things stayed through the rest of the period, and after two Ingersoll still held the lead at 3-2.

Simcoe wasn't ready to go down without a fight however, and they came out with two quick goals in the first five minutes of the third period to take their first lead of the series and make it an exciting and interesting game.  Then it was Ingersoll's turn to mount the comeback, and two goals by Symon Hutcheson restored the Ingersoll lead, and with less than five minutes to play it again looked like Ingersoll had the game under control, and just needed to ride the clock out.  Simcoe wasn't done though.  First they had a penalty shot opportunity that Logan White faced down and turned away, but they continued to battle, and with less than four minutes to play tied the game back up once again.  From that point on, neither team could find the back of the net, and when the buzzer sounded it was off to a 10 minute overtime period.

The overtime period proved to be more of the same, with back and forth action, each team getting their chances but also playing a bit more defensively, not wanting to give up the opportunity for the winning goal.  Midway through the period a Simcoe player was sprung for a breakaway, and got himself in on goal.  Parker Hodgson did everything that he could to catch the player on the back check, but just as he went to play the puck the player shot, and the way the puck hit the sticks caused a redirection that fooled Ingersoll goaltender White, and Simcoe found themselves back in the series just like that.

Friday, February 20 was game 4, this time back in Simcoe.  The game seemed a near carbon copy of game 3.  Ingersoll's Parker Hodgson got himself 2 goals over a quick span in the first period, and after the first the team was up 2-0 again.  But again it was time for Simcoe to cue their quick comeback, with a goal just over a minute into the second getting them back into the game.  Ingersoll appeared to be skating uphill during the second period, and just could not get any of the momentum that they had through the first period.  Simcoe added 2 late goals in the period, and when the buzzer sounded, it was 3-2 Simcoe, and looking less promising for Ingersoll to finish it off this night.

The third period however proved that this was to be Ingersoll's night.  After a scoreless ten minute battle, Daytn Racicot was able to tie the game up on a shot from the blue line that fooled the Simcoe netminder.  On his next shift out, Racicot added another goal on a battle around the net, and Ingersoll again found itself back out in front with only four and a half minutes to kill to get to the next round.  This time however, the team held the fort, with great defense being played by all four of Ingersoll's defencemen to keep Simcoe from even having an opportunity to tie the game back up.  Then, with just 10 seconds left and Simcoe playing with the extra attacker, Hodgson was able to spring the puck free and sprint down the ice to finish off the hat trick, ensuring that Ingersoll would get the victory and move on.

The team played great both games, and definitely deserved the victory.  Thank you to Gavin Bryant, Ty House and Seth Hedges who came up to help out on Tuesday night when the team was shorthanded.

The team will next face Mt. Brydges in the West semifinal, with the schedule to be announced soon.