With the possibility of an elimination hovering above their heads, the Canadian Tire Atoms were a very determined team on the afternoon of Saturday January 19th and knew they wanted the opportunity to play game four (of the 6-point series) in Listowel on Sunday afternoon.
The Kinucks jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first period – Cale Gibson would strike on goal with the assist going to Nolan MacKinnon.
The Cyclones put on the pressure and managed to get themselves on the board midway through the second period, with the score at 1-1.
Jordan Beisel led the way in the third period with a goal off the sticks of Wilson Shipp and Kaleb Smith.
However, Listowel continued with their sturdy offensive force and scored one more in the third period making it a 2-2 tie.
The Kincardine squad held off any further Cyclone attacks in the remainder of the third period and concluded with a 2-2 tie – this meant a ten-minute period of sudden death overtime!
The fans were loud and cheering was heard all through the Tiverton arena! This overtime period was a nail biter - with end to end action throughout!
The Kinucks stood strong and matched the Cyclone’s intensity – neither team could find the back of the net in the dying seconds of sudden death – making it a final 2-2 tie.
The Hardest Working Helmet went to a well-deserved Darcy Scott for his solid defensive plays throughout the entire game – congratulations Darcy!
The Kinucks had a quiet Saturday evening in order to prepare themselves for game four.
The team travelled on Sunday afternoon through some blustery January weather for their fourth and possibly final game with the Cylcones.
With motivation to win, the Kinucks were pumped and ready to take on the Cyclones!
The first period had back and forth action and the Kinucks came out flat, with the Cyclones up 1-0.
Midway through the second period, Kaleb Smith made a beautiful top shelf goal – assisted by Jordan Beisel - starting Kincardine’s retort.
The Cyclones continued on with their sturdy offensive force and the Kinucks battled fiercely in the third period but to no avail. Final score ended up 3-1 in Listowel’s favour.
The Hardest Working Helmet went to a well-deserved Kaleb Smith - congratulations Kaleb!
These young men made the coaching staff very proud! Defence (Darcy Scott, Mitch Pyke, Kaleb Smith and Ethan Petrie) held off the attacks and the Offense (Jordan Beisel, Mac Beisel, Wilson Shipp, Cale Gibson, Nolan MacKinnon, and Kevin Coady) took care of business! Solid goaltending for both games this weekend was made by Trent Courtney! Goaltender Ryan Wheeler was ready to go at any time, cheering on his partner.
Head coach Jeff Scott said after Sunday’s game that he was very happy with the team’s play. “I was very pleased that the boys came to the rink both days prepared and focused to play. All players worked hard, competed and played to our game plan”. He added, “Coming to the rink ready and preparing to play, is crucial to making the team competitive and gives us an opportunity to win every day”. Additionally, Coach Scott added - “I am very proud of the team and its supporters. Not the result we all wanted but it was not due to lack of effort.”
Great work Kinucks!