Nov 05, 2014 | Steve | 492 views
Atom Kinucks in Tillsonburg Tournament
The Canadian Tire sponsored Kincardine Atom Kinucks, put in a valiant effort in the Tillsonburg Tournament that was stacked with larger towns / centres. The kids from Kincardine battled hard only to be put out out of the competition at the semi-final stage. This would prove to be an excellent test for a team that have been fairly dominant, in their own division, to date.
This tournament would begin with a hard fought tie against St Mary's Rock. The game would end 3-3 with the goals being collected by; Carson Fletcher, Cody McLelland and Quinton Pagé. Assists were attributed to Sam 'McIntosh' MacTavish (2), Alex Colley Aquino, Cam Fletcher, Noah Swann and Quinton Pagé.
Next on the schedule were the home team, Tillsonburg, who were incredibly impressive, it has to be said. Both teams were arguably evenly matched when it came to talent, but Tillsonburg's team play was simply too much for the Kinucks to handle. The result was a 7-2 loss for the Kinucks, with the consolation goals going to Quinton Pagé and Carson Fletcher, for the Kinucks. Assists in this game were claimed by Noah Swann (2), Alex Colley-Aquino and Cam Fletcher.
The result against Tillsonburg made the next game, against Huntsville, a must win for the Kinucks. It was a win that they would deliver, putting them through to the Knockout stages. It has to be said, that Kincardine's talented centre Noah Swann was absolutely 'on fire' for this one. Swann would deliver a 4+2 performance, while Cody McLelland and Quinton Pagé would snatch the other 2 goals. The only other assists in this game would go to Sam MacTavish and Cam Fletcher.
The Kincardine Kinucks did have to go without their reliable defenseman Jared Houghton, for some of this one. Houghton took a nasty looking spill into the boards, head first. Although he would not finish this game, thankfully he was okay he'd be fit to play the next day. With Houghton missing, the Kinucks dropped the ever reliable Casey Beisel into a defensive role to play alongside the always steady; Noah Page, Holden Stevenson and Nate Arnold. This was enough to see the game out and claim victory.
The semi-final would match up the Kincardine Kinucks and the Petrolia Oilers. In a game that was littered with penalties, it was difficult for either team to get into their stride. The Kinucks would lead this game 2-0 in the second period, only for the Oilers to claw their way back and earn a final spot with a 3-2 victory.
Both Carson Fletcher and Noah Swann delivered 1+1 games, in the semi final, but it wouldn't be enough to see them through to the next stage. With Nate Arnold, Noah Swann, Cody McLelland and Quinton Pagé, all given penalties at some point in the game (rightly or wrongly), the Kinucks were often relying on the ever dependable Ryan Tanner's goaltending, to keep them in the game. When all was said and done, the Kinucks went out with their heads held high. An excellent effort by all.