Mitchell Meteors 3 - Kincardine Kinucks 0
Tonight the Atom AE Kincardine Kinucks skated out for their first game of the season, facing off against the Mitchell Meteors.
With a team that had barely two practices under their belts, this first game was always going to be a steep learning curve for the Kinucks, against a Mitchell team that was expected to be strong.
Kincardine have a mix of kids that are familiar with one another from last season’s Novice Rep team, along with an equal amount of second year Atoms that will have to formulate some team chemistry as the season progresses.
The game was actually closer than the score line may suggest, but it’s probably fair to say that Mitchell deserved their victory, with slightly more possession in offensive situations overall.
The Kinucks started the game with hard skating forwards Carson Boettinger, Bailey Pierson and ‘the Brock Star’ Brock Courtney, supported by the smooth skating partnership of Jessica Anderson and Lauren Thede on defence. Anderson and Thede would provide a very solid display which does bode well for the rest of the season.
The game remained fairly even until late in the second period when Mitchell finally got their break-through goal, as the puck somewhat fortuitously slipped beneath Jared Petrie’s pad, in the Kincardine net. Mitchell’s second goal followed soon after. This goal also had an element of luck for the Mitchell team, as it went in off the skate of the unfortunate Cam Fletcher, in the Kincardine defence, giving Graham no chance to react. The Kinucks had switched goalies by this point, with Johnny ‘No Rebounds’ Graham getting some ice time, but given no chance to stop this one.
The Kinucks were creating chances of their own with Sam MacTavish going close on a couple of occasions, but each time he would find the Meteors goalie Charlie Wood to be in fine form. The forward line from last year’s Novice Rep team of ‘The Flow’ MacTavish, Caydence Gibson and Noah Page were proving to be a handful for the Meteors defence. However, they just couldn’t get the breakthrough that the Kinucks were looking for.
The second period would end with the Kinucks trailing 2-0. Unfortunately, any hopes of a comeback were quickly dashed, early in the third period when Darren Felts collected his second goal of the night, making it 3-0.
The Kinucks continued to threaten the Mitchell net, as the line of Dakota Condie, Aiden Berkman and Zach Eybergen also went close, displaying an excellent work ethic for the teams cause. However, the much anticipated break-through just didn’t arrive.
Another player certainly worth mentioning was Tomas Nancekivell, who I thought played a very solid game on defence, as he stepped up to a level of competition where I expect him to thrive. Tomas also turned out to be the first Kinuck to pick up a two minute penalty for the Atom AE’s, this season! It was maybe a little ironic considering his defensive partner has often been described as being a ‘fiery’ during last year’s Novice season. However, despite a few minor physical tussles, Cam Fletcher managed to keep himself clear of the penalty box!
Overall, Head Coach Doug MacTavish, was pleased with the hard working display provided by the players, drawing positives across the entire team. These kids will learn how important that work ethic is, as the season progresses. Building on the solid goal tending partnership of Petrie and Graham, we’ll hope that the team can carry this willingness to work hard forward, into the coming weeks.