Dec 19, 2013 | Steve | 889 views
AE Kinucks calm Storm and muzzle Ice Dogs!
The Atom AE Kinucks closed out their regular season with back to back wins against the Saugeen Shores Storm and the BCH Ice Dogs. These results could leave the Kinucks in second place in their division, in readiness for the all Ontario and WOAA play offs.
The first victory was secured in 2-0 home win over Saugeen Shores. In truth, this game wasn't one of the most thrilling games of hockey you will see this season, mainly as a result of a problematic Kincardine clock and buzzer, which repeatedly interrupted the first two periods preventing the game from gaining any real momentum. The goals were provided by the Kinucks leading scorers Zack Eybergen and Sam MacTavish, who netted their 15th and 12th goals of the season, respectively.
Credit should be given to Saugeen Shores who battled hard with a severely depleted line up that had been hit hard by sickness. The Storm gave their all until the very end as well as giving the Kinucks some moments of concern, particularly when they ran into a little bit of penalty trouble, with Holden Stevenson and Tomas Nancekivell collecting 2 minute minor penalties each.
Relying on hard skating contributions from the likes of Carson Boettinger, Aiden Berkman, Bailey Pierson and Noah Page, the Kinucks were able to ride out a few difficult moments and secure victory over the Storm. The performances provided by Noah Page and Carson Boettinger in most recent weeks, should really be commended, since they work so hard in a relentless pursuit of puck possession. In the end it was a 2-0 win for Kincardine and another shut out for the goaltending partnership of Petrie and Graham.
The final game of the regular season required a Wednesday night drive down to Bayfield for a match-up with the BCH Ice Dogs. The combination of a small Bayfield ice surface and some rather 'liberal' officiating resulted in a very physical encounter, as far as Atom hockey goes. Players from both teams were flying into challenges, but the Kinucks would take an early lead when Tomas 'Crusher' Nancekivell unleashed one of his big shots from the blue line. This recorded defenseman Nancekivell's first goal of the season, while Bailey Pierson collected the assist.
Early in the second period a typical melee would ensue around the Ice Dogs net, which resulted in David Ulak bundling a rebound over the line, while Sam MacTavish collected the assist. The Kinucks had a 2-0 lead but with very few penalties being called, both teams seemed to be cranking up the compete level. In typical fashion, Caydence Gibson, Jessie Anderson and Lauren Thede would provide stellar performances for their team. It has to be said, that there is no backing down from a physical battle for any of these girls, all of whom have been incredibly impressive in the season to date.
The tension would rise for the on looking crowd, when the men in stripes finally decided to allocate some penalties. Unfortunately for Kincardine, the recipients would all be Kinuck players; Brock Courtney, Cam Fletcher and Bailey Pierson would all spend some time in the box. As mentioned earlier, the race for the Kinucks top goal scorer is being lead by Zack Eybergen and Sam MacTavish. However, if their was a competition for total penalty minutes, then the competitive pairing of Brock Courtney and Cam 'Chara' Fletcher are leading by a distance!
With the game finely balanced at 2-1 it would be a thrilling finale for the on looking crowd. BCH desperately tried to make a break through, but the likes of Condie, Gibson and Stevenson remained resolute in the Kinucks defence.
In the closing stages Zack Eybergen, skated in on the Ice Dogs goalie and fired a shot top shelf. This was Eybergen's 16th goal of the season. BCH tried pulling their goalie in an effort to salvage someting from the game, but it wasn't enough tostop the Kinucks. An excellent 3-1 victory for Kincardine, as they set their sights on the play offs. Great work. Great game.