NotesThe much anticipated battle of Stratford took place Monday night at the Rotary Complex as the Kinsmen Club of Stratford Intermediate Aces squared off against their Festival City rivals Sirkel Foods Intermediate Aces.
The first period saw a number of chances from both sides as Kinsmen goalie Alexa Groenestege and Sirkel goalie Brittany Johnson kept the game scoreless through the frame. Midway through the second, the Kinsmen got on the board first on a bad angle shot from Emma Drake that took a funny bounce and ended up behind a sprawling Johnson. Alexa Horne assisted on the play. Sirkel responded just 30 seconds later as Alieda Boersen fired a shot from the short side that caught Groenestege off guard, with Jayne Kirby recording the assist. With the score tied at 1 apiece, both teams pushed hard into the third, as both keepers made a number of saves to keep their squads alive. Finally, two minutes into the frame, Kirsten Matthews carried the puck into the Sirkel end, scoring five-hole on Johnson to give the Kinsmen the lead. Sarah Beluzic recorded an assist on the play.
From here, it was a goaltenders battle as Johnson and Groenestege turned away shot after shot, including a number of scrambles in front of their respective nets.
With a last-ditch effort and their goaltender on the bench for the extra attacker, Sirkel swarmed the Kinsmen net, but Groenestege stayed strong with help from her entire crew, and as the final buzzer sounded, the score remained 2-1 for the Kinsmen squad.
As the first half of the season draws to a close, the Kinsmen Aces finish in second, while the Sirkel Aces end the half in fourth. Both teams advance to the A pool in KW Local League play as the playoffs start in the new year.