Mar 17, 2016 | NVanderBaan | 1042 views
Novice LL "A" Final vs. Tillsonburg #1
Burford played host on Sunday to the Intertown "A" finals between Ingersoll's Anderson Appliance and Tillsonburg Tornadoes #1. Both teams arrived here after wins in Ingersoll on Tuesday night when Anderson's beat Simcoe in a double overtime thriller and Tillsonburg doubled up Canadian Tire in a hard fought battle.
Ingersoll was feeling good after the marathon win on Tuesday and the players came to the dressing room full of energy. They did not have a full bench this game with their leading scorer #9 Noah Muller out with an illness and #4 Brady Lamers out of town. Coach Chris would need to juggle the lines to fill in the holes to match up to the fast skating Tornadoes. The players skated on to the ice with Tillsonburg taking the "Home" bench after they upset 1st place Canadian Tire. Ingersoll fans could be found seated through out the area and some players and parents of the 2 other Ingersoll Novice teams came to show their support. The warmup finished and the players lined up on the blue lines to hear the National Anthem before the puck dropped.
Play was underway and Tillsonburg quickly moved the puck deep in the Ingersoll zone. Ingersoll struggled to get the puck out and it resulted in the first test for #5 Riley Vyse who made the first save of the game. The play was pretty equal as both teams played tight defence and scoring chances where few. Ingersoll finally had a chance to score at 5:39 when #15 Logan Pare made a great pass in front of the net that was deflected off the defence man's skate. The puck nearly crossed the line but the Tillsonburg goalie made a great effort to reach back and save his team. #14 Dylan Craib was forechecking hard and created his own chance shorty after with a nice steal at the blue line and a shot that was just wide. Nice effort Dylan! The Tornadoes found their legs and put some pressure on the Ingersoll squad holding the puck in at the blue line and firing shots to the net. This play nearly resulted in a goal with 4 minutes on the clock when a shot beat Riley on the blocker side but it rang off the Iron and play continued. The period finished with a score of 0-0.
The second period play was a little more open and the puck moved freely along the boards. Both teams did an excellent job clogging the middle of the ice and keeping the shots to a minimum. Ingersoll was playing hard and last games overtime miracle worker #6 Kylah Demers nearly put in another one on a shot from the same area but again the Tornadoes goalie was sharp and the score after 2 periods remained tied.
The puck dropped to get the third period going and Tillsonburg came out with a Tornado of pressure. The puck stayed in the Ingersoll zone for most of the first 4 minutes and Ingersoll was on their heels. #5 Riley Vyse made some great stops and really bailed his team out. Ingersoll tried to mount a come back moving the puck out of the zone but the Tillsonburg defence did an excellent job of skating hard to be the first to the puck. This effort paid off when a great pass resulted in a break away and Tillsonburg's #11 Josh Allen flew the puck into the net from just inside the hash mark at 10:15 on the clock. Tillsonburg scores first and they where feeling the energy from the Tornado fans in the stands. They kept the pressure at full steam and it didn't look good for Ingersoll who couldn't get things together and move the puck by the defence at the blue line. After 2 minutes of digging in their own end the puck finally made its way to the Tillsonburg end of the ice. #19 Tanner Belore was playing forward filling in at centre and did a great of fore checking to take the puck in the corner. Tanner moved his way towards the net and made a great backhand pass to the hot stick of #14 Dylan Craib. Dylan made a few quick moves in front of the net and backhanded the puck into the net for a Goal!!! This tied the game with 7:03 to go in the game. The play was back and forth with both goalies making saves to hold the score 1 goal a piece. The time ticked off the clock and Tanner and Dylan nearly combined for another goal but the shot was just wide of the net. The period finished with the score tied at 1 and again we're off to Overtime!
Both coaches loaded up the lines in hopes of ending it early. It was a real battle for the puck and no chances came available for either team in the opening minutes. #8 Alex Stratton made a great rush after he intercepted a pass but his shot went just wide of the net and the score remained tied. The Tornadoes came right back and crashed 4 players to the front of the net. Goalie Riley Vyse had the paddle down and made the stop to get a whistle. Great saves Riley! The puck was down in the Tillsonburg end of the ice and the players tried to get lined up for the face off. The whistle was blown and the ref made the signal for a penalty to Ingersoll for to many men on the ice. After a lengthy discussion with the coaches the ref would not overturn his call and Tillsonburg was on the power play. Ingersoll went into full defence mode and had no problem killing off the 2 minutes. As play continued the ice opened up and the players tired. The first overtime was nearly over and the puck hit the tape of the first goal scorer #14 Dylan Craib. Dylan was all alone and looking to seal the deal as he eyed up the goal for an opening. Somehow a Tillsonburg player raced back and tipped the puck off Dylan's stick seconds before he let the shot go and the puck went wide into the corner. The 4th period ended still tied at 1 goal a piece.
So we are back to double overtime and the "Cardiac Kids" had everyone on the edge of their seats praying for a repeat of Tuesday's game vs. Simcoe. The ice was looking rough but players found the energy to power through the snow and create lots of chances. Tillsonburg had the first opportunity with a 3 on 1 break and #20 Ben Baker made a great play for Ingersoll clogging the passing lane and sending the puck to the boards. Nice play Ben! Ingersoll moved the puck back down the ice and #15 Logan Pare nearly ended the game with a high shot that was just over the net. The fans where really into it and all the players dug deep to keep up the high tempo offence. It was end to end action and again Riley made a great kick save to hold the score a 1's. #19 Tanner Belore was in good position at the side of the net and grabbed the rebound for a shot to open corner of the net. Some how the goalie stuck out his skate and took the puck off the toe to save the puck. The puck was cleared and Tillsonburg was on a break away down the left hand side of the ice. Ingersoll's #3 Owen VanderBaan found some energy to catch up to the streaking player and after a long battle managed to muscle the puck off the Tornado players stick and to the safety of the corner. Awesome effort Owen!. The play slowed and both teams seemed to go into defence mode in the remaining seconds. Tillsonburg held the blue line and go a shot on net in the final seconds. Riley was down to make the save but he took a little peek behind him to see if the puck was in the net. The fans held their breath and the ref pointed to the face-off circle at the side of the net.... no goal. The score remained at 1 after 5 periods.
Triple Ovetime! Just an unbelievable game to witness and what an effort from both teams. The play was a bit slower now and it was now or never. If the period finished with another tie the game would be over and a second game would be scheduled to determine the winner. Again, both teams played with tenacity and grit not giving an easy inch to their opponents. Riley was solid and made save after save. Ingersoll put the puck deep in the offensive zone and a battle ensued behind the net. #19 Tanner Belore got a bit too aggressive and the refs arm was in the air to indicate a penalty for Body Contact at 6:23. Again Tillsonburg was given the advantage and Ingersoll would have to stay focused to kill off the 2 minutes. The puck was cleared down the ice into the Tillsonburg zone and because of the penalty there was no icing. Ingersoll went of the forecheck sending #14 Dylan Craig deep and the rest of the players followed over the blue line. There was a battle for the puck in the corner and Tillsonburg had some players moving up ice hoping for a pass. The pass was finally made but #3 Owen VanderBaan slid across the blueline to hold the puck onside and he ripped a shot toward the net. The puck hit a shin pad and landed on the stick of #14 Dylan "Magic Hands" Craib who slipped the puck into the corner of the net for the WIN! The crowd and players went crazy and the trophy remains in Ingersoll! Awesome game team and every player did something to contribute to the win!