Canadian Tire Atom Kinucks Start OMHA Atom B Playoffs with Home and Home Series against Listowel
The Kincardine Canadian Tire Atom Kinucks started the OMHA playoffs after wrapping up regular season play last week with back to back wins over the North Bruce Predators and Saugeen Shores Storm. Jordan Beisel was a force in the 5-1 win over the Predators scoring a hat trick and adding an assist. The other goal scorers were blue-liner Kaleb Smith and winger Wilson Shipp. The Saugeen Shores game was a close match but hard work and some timely saves put the Kinucks in the win column 3-1 with goals coming from Beisel, Shipp and Nolan MacKinnon.
The end of the regular season signalled the start of the first round of the OMHA Atom B Playdowns versus the Listowel Cyclones. With Kincardine enjoying home ice advantage game one went Saturday in Tiverton. This was the first time these two teams have played each other this year and it showed on the ice. Close checking and excellent goal tending kept the score 0-0 until mid-way through the game when the Cyclones scored off a deflected bullet from the point. Despite chances at both ends the score would remain 1-0 and the Kinucks would find themselves down 1-0 in the best of five series. Trent Courtney would earn hardest working player of the game.
Game two in the series went Sunday in Listowel. This was a very different game from the series opener; the "feeling out" was over and the Kinucks came to win. Less than 2 minutes in to the first period and Jordan Beisel opened the scoring on a great solo effort. This was followed only one minute later by another goal from Beisel with the assist going to Wilson Shipp. The home crowd seemed stunned to be down 2-0 early in the game after such a close game only 24-hours before. The Kinucks continued the pressure in the second period when Cale Gibson's hard work on the boards to keep the puck in the Listowel end was rewarded. Gibson went to the net hard and banged in a rebound with assists to Nolan MacKinnon and Kevin Coady. The Kinucks kept up the pressure but the Cyclones managed to cut the lead to 3-1 with two minutes left in the second period. Starting the third period with the "worst lead" in hockey, the Kinucks continued to force the play until 6 minutes in to the period when the Cyclones scored again to make it 3-2. The Cyclones took this momentum and scored another two unanswered goals only a minute apart in the last three minutes of the period. A valiant effort to tie the game with the goalie on the bench fell just short with a flurry of chances around the Listowel net. The final score would remain 4-3 for the Cyclones. Despite the result, this was a very strong game for the Kinucks. Jordan Beisel would earn hardest working player of the game but the whole team fought hard throughout the game; forwards Wilson Shipp, Jordan Beisel, Kevin Coady, MacKenzie Beisel, Cale Gibson and Nolan MacKinnon kept the pressure on the Cyclones throughout the game and battled hard on the back check; the blue line was also rock solid with Kaleb Smith, Ethan Petrie, Mitch Pyke and Darcy Scott holding off repeated Cyclone attacks.
After the game, Head Coach Jeff Scott said "The team played well both days. Their commitment to the game plan was stellar and we need to stay at that level to be successful. Hockey is a game of emotion and momentum; we kept the emotion throughout the weekend but lost the momentum in the second half of the game. This shift in momentum enabled Listowel to get back in the game. I am sure the boys learned from the experience and we'll be ready for game three. I am proud of the players, family and friends for their efforts."
Game three of the OMHA Atom B playdowns goes in Tiverton this Saturday January 19 at 12:30pm. Bring your noise makers and come out to support your local Atom Rep team as they battle to stay alive in the OMHA play downs.
Game four, if required, goes in Listowel on Sunday January 20 at 4:00pm.