Dec 07, 2019 | Rich McNeil | 163 views
Game 3 - Ingersoll vs Ennismore Eagles
With an 11am start time, your Peewee A/E Dove Dental Express headed down the 401 to the old Ayr Community Center for a date with Ennismore Eagles. Even though the Eagles were winless and were already eliminated from the tournament, we expected nothing less than a determined team to show up and give us a run for our money, and not surprising at all, that is exactly what we got.
Starting in goal for game 3 was Ben Baker, who was hungry to bounce back from an opening tournament loss on Friday morning. Also in the lineup was Kian Brown, who was a concern due to a sore foot from blocking multiple shots yesterday. Thankfully Kian tested it out and gave the green light that he was indeed good to go.
The first period Ingersoll dominated the play, spending a majority of the period in the offensive zone, but the Eagles netminder was up for the challenge and made numerous saves, frustrating the Express forward who pressed hard shift after shift to gain the advantage, only to be denied time after time.
In the second, it was more of the same, a strong press by the boys, with little to show for it. At the midway point of the second frame, Jeremy Stiles had a glorious opportunity to put the Express on the board, but standing between his patented wrist shot was a steel crossbar that rang out ever so loudly, and intensifying the nervous excitement of the Ingersoll faithful. It was when a hell bent Alex Stratton decided enough was enough, picked up a loose puck near the far boards at center and turned on the accelerator. He blew by a stunned Eagles defender and tucked a perfectly placed puck, just under the glove and above the pad to give the Express the goal they needed and you could feel the exhale of almost every fan in attendance. At the end of second, the Express held a slim 1-0 lead.
It did not take long for Ingersoll to get an insurance marker as Ryan Condotta picked up a puck from Owen Clarke, and put it past the Ennismore goalie at the 9:42 mark of the third and final frame. There was no quit in this Eagles squad, but the boys from Ingersoll always play to the final buzzer, and any attempts by them to gain the zone were quickly extinguished. Condotta again had a chance to seal the deal when he was sprung on a breakaway, but a great save by the oppositions goaltender kept the game within reach. Frustration soon set in as their assistant captain took not one, but two minor penalties in the final 5 minutes of the game to really seal their team's fate. A late goal by Eli North assisted by Alex Stratton gave the Express a 3-0 win, and a big shutout by Baker, as we awaited the final of the other game to see what our fate had in store. When it was all said and done, our 2-1 record was good enough to win our pool and earn us a date Saturday night vs the Ayr Flames, for a berth in tomorrow's semi final game. Great game boys, you knew what needed to be done, and your hard work and team first mentality paid dividends. Go Express Go!!