The U13 Rep team finished the regular
season strong with their 6th win in a row and their first against
the Kawartha Coyotes. The team went through a rough stretch between
December and January, so this win streak has to feel good. “The team has put in
a lot of hard work on and off the ice this season. I am really proud of the way
the kids finished off the regular season and I think we are peaking at the
right time heading into playoffs” expressed head coach Shawn Prentice.
Brock and Kawartha always battle hard but this one certainly felt different, the game had a playoff
type atmosphere and intensity. Early in the first period the Wild
turned it over at the offensive blue line and the Coyotes went on a long
breakaway and beat goalie Colton Ranic upstairs. It was a nice shot, but it was the last that
Coyotes would get on Ranic
whom played amazing and was Brock’s MVP of the game. Colton said
after the game “We played as a team and everybody fought hard and I’m excited
going into playoffs on a 6-game heater”.
Brock didn’t let the turnover get them down and answered
back a minute later with a laser top shelf from Liam Laidlaw to tie the game
1-1. The first period saw the Wild put a lot of pressure on Kawartha and were rewarded
with a goal by Matthew Patterson late in the first. Matthew said, “We were hard on the puck and
had a solid two-way game, that and couple big saves from our goalie earned us a
big win.”
The second period was certainly action packed. The Wild
continued their relentless forecheck and went up 3-1 with a goal from Keeley McArthur
who played a great game and was buzzing around the net all night. This turned
out to be the game winning goal. Mid way through the 2nd the Coyotes
went on another breakaway, but the puck was just out of reach of the Kawartha
forward and Colton Ranic opted to play the puck with a strategic poke check. It
turned out to be a wise decision and the breakaway opportunity fizzled as the
two players collided. The play had to stop as the Coyotes forward was injured in
the high-speed collision but eventually skated back to the bench. The force of
the impact also dislodged Ranic’s skate blade. The legendary trainer for Brock rushed
onto the ice with unbelievable speed and agility but was unable to insert the
blade back into place. Colton went back to the dressing room for some much-needed
repairs and goalie Nate Herrington jumped in between the pipes in his place. The
Coyotes were able to get one by Herrington to make the score 3-2. Ranic made it
back to the ice to finish out the game. Defensively the team was playing well,
and Cooper Stephenson really stepped up by filling in for Bruce Bacon. Asked for comment on the defense, Everett
Mank said "Everyone did so good and the passes were on point, we finished
strong”.
In the third period the speed of the game increased as
both teams traded chances and Kawartha was pulling out the stops to tie it up
and the Wild had some big chances as well. Both goalies stood on their head and
kept this a nail bitter for everyone in the arena. A late penalty by Kawartha
allowed the Wild to play defensive and kept the Coyotes in their zone for long stretches
of time, this prevented the extra attacker option for Kawartha. The Wild played a terrific game and won 3-2.
After the game Brock Wild Assistant Coach Mike
Nicholson said, "It was a phenomenal team effort with a tenacious
forecheck and a defensive masterpiece in our end. The veteran leadership was
perfect with goals from Laidlaw, Patterson and McArthur and was awesome to
watch Ranic shut the door with some key saves to keep us on top. I'm really
excited with the PP work and to see it come together in a game situation is
quite satisfying. It's been a hell of a run to end the regular season and I'm
sure it will continue into the playoffs".
The Wild will play their first game of the playoffs against the Newcastle Stars
in their barn Tuesday February 13th.
Go Wild!