Oct 07, 2018 | RNyenhuis | 435 views
Flanagan Meets Her New Best Friend in Weekend Home Opener
Beauty Wrap-Around Goal From Cameron Earns Ace's first Victory
The Rod Smith Novice B Aces opened their season with 1-0 thriller against the Kitchener Rangers Saturday only to be set back Sunday in a 4-0 defeat hosting the Huron Heat.
In game one Saturday the Aces took their play to the Rangers. Great blueline positioning from the Ace defensive unit of L Nickel, A Stokes, N Appel, C Donnely, V Brander and M Burdett kept the Rangers hemmed into their zone for a large portion of the first period. Chance after chance the Aces could not get one behind the Rangers net minder. The rangers entered the second determined to take back the play to the Aces. They pushed forward and peppered Ace net minder Flanagan with shot after shot only for them to be answered with glorious save after glorious save. When it seemed Flanny's luck had run out, her iron goal post friends answered Reese's anxious pleas for help not once but twice. The back-stopper's glory re-propelled the Aces to take the play back to the Ranger goal and this time it was J. Cameron's turn to shine. Streaking behind the net with the puck the Ace offensive player of the game, in fine practiced form, drove around the back of the net with a beautiful wrap around stinger put the Aces up 1-0 where the game stayed till it's conclusion. Emerie Smith earned herself Ace defensive player of the game for maintaining her strong positional play helping to stall the Ranger's advances.
Post game comments from the Ace arm-chair goalie coach/peanut gallery team analyst Randy F were as follows:' If you take to game to the opposition and remain in their end for 75% of the match like we did there today, you're going to win a lot of games'. Well said Randy, well said.
Game two brought a Heat team to the Stratford barn determined to push back against Stratford's come from behind tie in exhibition last week in Seaforth. The girls were in tough from the start with a fiery hot Heat goaltender. Breaks from Ace centers J Cameron, K Blain and P Nyenhuis were stone walled by the Heat, frustrating the Ace forwards. The heat responded with strong offense breaking through the Ace D to put pucks away in the Ace net. The Aces did not relieve their offense, determined to prove to the Sunday home crowd that the score would not reflect the play on the ice. The Ace net assault led by 2nd straight Ace offensive MVP Cameron, even in the face of a loss provoked a Heat coaching bench minor for their frustrations with the Ace's unrelenting goalie pressure (well done girls). Myla Burdett's strong, fast back checking against the Heat made her Ace defensive player of the game. Reached just before press time, coach Cameron commented that the girls walked away a solid .500 for the weekend with a strong win and a tough loss and that the .500 always represents proverbial glass is half full coaching optimism.
The girls continue their season grind by 'pinking the rink' in Etobicoke this weekend. Good luck to Novice B and to all Ace teams involved.