Kincardine Hair Connection Atom LL1 played against Kincardine Meridian Atom LL2 on Wednesday, 13Jan2010 in an exhibition game that would best be described as the battle of Kincardine. Although both teams are in the same local league loop, the schedule this year did not pit the teams against each other in league play. Both teams have had nearly identical records this year.
Both teams went at the game hard from the puck drop, with each team trading opportunities and both goalies coming up with big saves. Matt (#12) had a great chance when he skated the puck end to end but was turned away by a good save. Ariel (#11), back on defense after having filled in as goalie, showed that she hadn’t forgotten how to get the job done, with good defensive positioning to clear the puck. Cameron (#6) aggressively chased down the LL2 forwards in the defensive end. LL2 finally broke the impasse, scoring with four and a half minutes left in the first period.
Another ten minutes of furious scoreless action would keep fans on the edge of their seats. Ryan (#16) was a forechecking demon, turning the puck over in the LL2 end several times, including getting several shots at net. Isaac (#9) ended up on a breakaway on a pass from Ryan (#16) after Brendan (#10) cleared the puck up to centre ice. Michael (#13), going through the lines, did a great job of playing all the forward positions, helping out with great forechecking. LL1 would score to tie the game when Darian (#3) finally managed to capitalize on one of his many chances at net. The tie would last for less than four minutes when LL2 scored on a rebound from a great save by Tyler (#1). Undaunted, Colton (#14) and Darian (#3) put pressure on the LL2 defense causing a turnover deep in their end that Payton (#8) put home to once again tie the score.
The third period saw no let up in the action, with both teams trading good scoring opportunities. Isaac (#9) ended up with another breakaway by making a nice inside out move and then getting a good shot after picking up a clearance pass by Martin (#2). Halfway through the period, LL2 once again took the lead. With LL1 pulling out the stops to try and tie the game, Tyler (#1) was forced to come up with some big saves to keep the game close, including a brilliant butterfly save on a 2 on 1 with only minutes left that would have sealed the victory for LL2. Just as LL1 was getting ready to pull their goalie, Colton (#14) again put pressure on the LL2 defense, causing a turnover that Payton (#8) fed to Darian (#3) who put it home to tie the game with 2 minutes straight time left in the game. LL2 then put the pressure on going for the win, but LL1’s defense held. The game ended in a 3-3 tie - a fitting finish to an exciting and evenly matched game.