The
Ingersoll Express Bantam Rep team started 2017 on a winning note, downing the
Paris Wolfpack 3 to 1.
After a scoreless first period, Ben White took a nice pass from Ethan Emerson and fired a perfect shot into the top corner. Emerson then potted a power play goal of his own before the second period ended. Dayton Racicot assisted on Ingersoll’s second goal. The Wolfpack cut the Ingersoll lead in half at 11:22 of the third, but with Christian Lee providing a perfect screen in front of the Paris goal, Nathan Graham took a pass from Brennan Rupert and added an insurance marker with five minutes remaining.
On January 13th the Bantam team took a trip down the 401 to face off against their first OMHA opponent, the Ayr Flames. Ingersoll got off to a quick start, with Parker Hodgson and Ben White scoring before the match was a minute and a half old. Although the Express looked a bit sluggish through much of the remaining 38 minutes, failing to cash in on seven power play opportunities, and in fact surrendering two short-handed goals with the man advantage, they did manage to escape with a 4-2 victory. Ethan Emerson also scored for Ingersoll. Assists went to Isaac Westlake, Daniel Martineau, Nathan Graham, Ethan Emerson and Parker Hodgson.
The Simcoe Warriors were in town January 14th, hungry for a victory against the Express. In a fast paced, penalty free first period, the teams traded goals; Simcoe sneaking one past Logan White early, only to see Ethan Emerson tie things up with a shot along the ice from the hash marks with less than a minute to play in the first. Simcoe regained the lead early in the second period, but Symon Hutcheson and Isaac Westlake got the home team back on track with some hard hitting, aggressive, physical play. Speedy winger Ben White was stopped on a partial breakaway. Logan White came up with several key saves to keep it a one goal game. Before the period ended, Westlake notched Ingersoll’s second goal with a wicked wrist shot that was too hot for the Simcoe goalie to handle. The Warriors scored twice in the third, taking a 4 – 2 lead, but our bantam boys silenced the Simcoe fans, popping in four unanswered goals en route to a 6 – 4 victory. Scoring for Ingersoll in the third were Nathan Graham, Isaac Westlake, Joel Verspeeten and Ethan Emerson. Ben White had three assists on the night, Damon Racicot pitched in with a pair of helpers, and Daniel Martineau and Brennen Rupert also earned assists.
The weekend wrapped up with game two of the OMHA playoff round against the Ayr Flames. Ayr got on the board first, but with 30 seconds to go in the opening period Brennan Rupert took a shot from the blue line, Isaac Westlake pounced on the rebound to tie the game. Dayton Racicot earned an assist on the play as well. In a penalty filled second period, neither team was able to capitalize on the powerplay. Good hustle by Joel Verspeeten, Parker Hodgson and Symon Hutcheson and solid goaltending by Logan White helped to keep the Flames from scoring with the man advantage. The score remained 1-1 until late in third period, but with three minutes remaining, one of the Flames players stunned the crowd when he deposited the puck into his own net. This seemed to rattle the Ayr players, and before they could recover, Damon Racicot took a pass from Joel Verspeeten and found the back of the net to make it 3 to 1 Ingersoll. In desperation the Flames pulled their goaltender in the final minutes, Racicot and Mick Donker came close to scoring into the empty cage, but at the final buzzer Ingersoll celebrated a 3-1 victory. The Express now prepare to meet the Tillsonburg Tornadoes on Wednesday before heading to the International Silver Stick tournament in Forest Ontario this weekend.
Submitted by M. Martineau