Kincardine Presto Crest Peewee Local League hosted Zurich in Tiverton on Sunday, 05Dec2010 on a snow blowy day for the second time in a week. The first game was not a good outing with Kincardine getting lambasted 0-10 in Zurich. With a good practice under their belts, Kincardine was looking to compete in this game.
Kincardine got off on the right foot with Hogan, Josh and Brydon getting the puck into Zurich's end and applying some pressure. The period continued with play at both ends. Towards the end of the first, Kincardine took a tripping penalty. The ensuing Zurich power play hemmed Kincardine in their end. Just as the penalty was coming to an end, Zurich scored. Kincardine then lost focus and Zurich scored again with 24 seconds left in the period to go up 0-2.
Kincardine regrouped in the second period and took the play to Zurich. Pressure by Brady in the Zurich goal mouth ended with a centering pass onto Austin's stick that just missed the net. Zurich also had some chances, all of which were thwarted by outstanding goaltending by Alex P. Alex made the save of the season during a scramble to the right side of the net when the Zurich player made a cross-ice pass to a wide open player, 10 feet out from a wide open net. Somehow, Alex pushed off, did the splits and made the pad save. In the dying minute of the period, Brendan passed the puck around the net, Alex F. picked it up and cleared the zone with a pass to Hogan. Hogan broke down the right wing, beating the defenceman to the outside and then fired the puck over the goalie's shoulder and off the cross-bar into the net! Kincardine won the second period on hard, gritty play and headed into the flood down by a goal.
Kincardine came out of the break pumped! Twenty-four seconds into the period, Hogan took a shot at net. Sam was charging hard to the net and banged the loose puck in. Unfortunately, the whistle had gone before the puck went in - no goal. This call seemed to take the edge off Kincardine's game momentarily and Zurich capitalized with a goal of their own that counted to go up 1-3. Alex P. then held down the fort under a barrage of shots. Halfway through the final period the dam broke and Zurich scored two more goals within a minute to go up 1-5. Kincardine then woke up again, with an outstanding effort by Sam, who took a pass from Alex F. in his own end, poked the puck across the blueline, then fought through the defenceman to carry it all the way across the Zurich blueline. His shot from just inside the line was stopped by the goalie, but Sam continued his charge at the net, sprawling to knock the loose puck over the line for Kincardine's second goal of the game. This spurred Kincardine on putting more pressure on Zurich. Kincardine finally scored again when Alex F. rushed the puck from his own end, beat three Zurich players, cut across the slot and launched a rocket into the top corner to cut Zurich's lead to 2 with two minutes to go. Unfortunately, the next shift got stuck in what seemed like quicksand, allowing Zurich to dance around Kincardine's end, putting in two goals in 11 seconds to take away any hope of a comeback. The game ended with many positives for Kincardine to build on - winning a period, a good energy level for most of the game and a doubling of the goal production for the whole season.
Photo by Kyle Watson