This
past weekend the Sommers Generator Systems Atom A Aces finished their regular
season in typical Aces fashion in front of the home town fans earning three of
a possible four points.
The action began on Saturday night with the Aces hosting the undefeated Wilmot Wolverines. The Stratford girls knew they had a big job to do as the Wolverines had only been scored on six times this season. The Aces coaching staff had the red and white machine primed and the girls were jacked as they took to the ice. Stratford wasted no time and were all over Wilmot early in the first period when Kiara McGregor found a loose puck in front of the net and buried it to open up the scoring and put the Aces on top. The Wolverines answered back in the second with two goals and sniped another early in the third to take a commanding 3-1 lead. In the middle of the third the Aces had the Wolverines tied up tight in their end when Aveleen Flood saucered a pass back to Olivia VanStraaten at the point. VanStraated fired a howitzer at the net that the Wilmot goalie couldn’t control and Olivia Rau was on the doorstep to take out the trash and put Stratford back in the game. Two minutes later Wilmot swung the pendulum back in their favour with their fourth of the game but the mighty Aces did not quit. They kept coming at the Wolverines shift after shift and absolutely refused to give up. The Aces aggressive style of play earned them a cheap penalty and they were short handed with six minutes left on the clock when McGregor picked the Wilmot defenceman’s pocket at center ice, rushed down on a breakaway and went bar down on the Wolverine’s goaltender, shattering the water bottle. Stratford kept pressing for the tying goal but Wilmot was able to weather the storm until they took an icing call with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. Wilmot won the draw but after a failed clearing attempt, the puck wound up on the stick of… guess who… Kiara McGregor who threw a hail mary at the net from the blue line to score for the hat trick with 0.2 seconds remaining in the game. The Aces electrified the entire arena coming back from a two goal deficit to tie the game at four. The Wilmot Wolverines had no idea what had hit them as Stratford almost doubled their regular season goals against, showing Wilmot the Aces are definitely a force to be reckoned with.
Stratford Aces final game of the regular season was a Sunday matinee against the Kitchener Lady Rangers. The Lady Rangers came to Stratford looking to steal a couple of points in order to gain a more favourable spot for playoffs but the Aces had other ideas for them. Stratford hit the ice in their retro jerseys for the grand finale and they completely dominated the entire first period but Kitchener was somehow able to hold them off and keep the period scoreless. The Aces broke the ice in the second when Kiara McGregor and Aveleen Flood connected for a text book give and go, leaving the Ranger goalie scratching her head wondering what had just happened. Olivia VanStraaten intercepted the puck late in the second, holding the blue line and fired a cannon at the back of the net for the Aces second of the game. Stratford did not let their foot of the gas scoring three more goals in the third. Early in the third the Aces wrapped up the Rangers in the Kitchener end when Rau set up Floody down low who found Tessa Burdett wide open at the back door. Kitchener responded with a goal but Stratford added their fourth of the game when Hannah Mogk feathered a pass to spring McGregor down the ice on a breakaway and she made no mistake as she rung the bar to beat the Ranger goalie. As the game wound down the Aces had too strong of pace set for the Lady Rangers to keep up to and they struck again. Olivia Cote-Wawryszyn rushed the puck end to end and dished it up to Rau. Rau found Burdett in the slot for the one timer and she fooled the goaltender with a lightning quick release to score through the five hole. The Sommers Generator Systems showed many signs of greatness finishing the regular season off with a dominant 5-1 victory. The girls are going right back to work this week with a couple hard practices as they ready themselves for the first round of playoffs beginning next weekend against the London Devilettes.
Congratulations ladies on an amazing regular season and we all look forward to watching fantastic Aces playoff hockey!!