NotesGame #3 of first round of playoffs. Could not end in tie.
If Stratford won or tied, we would move on. If Woolwich won we needed to play extra 10 min period 4 on 4 as a game #4. If tied at the end of this period we needed to go to Shootout.
Game 3 - first period - Avery Randell scored unassisted.
Game 4 - 10 min 4-4 - NO GOALS SCORED
Shootout
1st shooter - Aces Emersyn Miller - Missed
Woolwich Missed
2nd shooter - Avery Randell - Scored
Woolwich Scored
3rd Shooter - Anne Nickel - Missed
Woolwich - Missed
4th Shooter - Paige Campbell Scored.
Woolwich Missed
Girls Hit Your Hallelujah
Play-offs, play-downs, who the hell knows,
but the Perth Auto Dismantlers Atom A Aces took the Woolwich Wildcats to the
edge and back where only Bruno Mars could describe the emotions the girls
pulled out of the crowd in game 3.5, Sunday, February 17, 2019. Shall we
take a minute to appreciate Mars’ lyrics?
Here, with my suggested substitutions, few be as they may, this
passage encompasses everything I was feeling.
This hit, that ice cold
Michelle Pfeiffer, that
white gold
This one for them hood girls
Them good girls straight
masterpieces
Stylin', wilin', livin' it
up in the city
Got ChucksSKATES
on with Saint Laurent
Gotta kiss myself, I'm so
pretty
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Called a police and a
fireman
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Make a dragon wanna retire man
I'm too hot (hot damn)
Say my name you know who I
am
I'm too hot (hot damn)
And my band 'bout that
money, break it down
Girls hit your hallelujah (whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah
(whoo)
Girls hit your hallelujah
(whoo)
'Cause uptown funk gon' give
it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give
it to you
'Cause uptown funk gon' give
it to you
Saturday SUNDAY night and we in the spot
Don't believe me just watch
(come on)
Now that you have that song stuck firmly in your head, let’s
talk stats for those of us who’re keeping track.
Game #1 was amazing. The girls were passing, skating,
implementing an entire season’s worth of practiced skills into one game. And
the end result showed just what can happen when you consistently work as a
team, focused on a singular goal, The Win.
The scoring didn’t get started until the 2nd period.
With only 27.5 seconds remaining, defenceman Avery Randallrushed
with the puck to find net, unassisted, building the momentum that would go on
to be the driving force in the third period.
The third period saw the puck drop, Lila Mortimer move
it out of the crowded red zone and hammer one deep into the Wilderness.
Meanwhile, Emersyn
Miller, was strategically lined-up, with incredible foresight,
ready at the net for the forceful rebound off the boards and hammered it home
to move the score to 2-0, only 30 seconds into the third
Lines
changed, a return to centre ice, the puck dropped, and centreman Lauren Leis tied
the Wild up, moving the puck out and back to defence Emma Van Nes, who
moved the puck up the boards to waiting winger, Eve Binns.
Leis had
gotten free of the swarm of Wild-cats, and I can’t think of another descriptive
more fitting than a bunch of wild, feral cats, where our two centres where the
equivalent of mice dipped in honey, and was seen moving past the blue line in
perfect symmetry to Binns.
Taking the pass, she found net, only 15 seconds after the pervious goal,
bringing the game to its final score of 3-0, earning goalie Sloan Cameron, another
well-deserved shut-out.
We’re going to skate by the second game in the Wildcat’s home
ice, where the game ended in a scoreless tie. Rumour has it, since this writer
was not there, that goaltender, Grace
Kipfer, executed her unique blend of goaltending/martial arts
fusion, making sure the Wild knew her house was not open for a visit. I’m super
excited to see that in action against Kipfer’s next start against the Heat
on the 22nd.
Game 3 saw the Wild on Stratford’s home ice where Stratford
needed a tie to move on. Alas, sit back, take a deep breath and dig out any
needed blood pressure meds. This one went on for 32 minutes of regular play, 10
minutes of stop time overtime and an incredibly long tense ending.
The girls looked fantastic right out of the gate with
defence Avery
Randall, rushing from end to end, with an incredible goal,
unassisted, to get the game started. However, that lone goal would prove that 1
truly is the loneliest number, especially when the other team finished the game
off with 3 goals.
With their solid win in game 1, the girls were spared
elimination and went to a 10:00 minute sudden death, stop-time, 4 on 4,
overtime period. Move to the edge of your seat. Literally. No ab-work necessary
today, the intensity was almost overwhelming.
End to end, shots, rebounds, strategic passing and heavy skating
after already playing an intense game, the girls left everything they had on
that ice. But it was no dice. At the end of the 10:00 minutes, the score
was still 0-0.
Next level stress. Mel
and Sean Cameron were seen breathing into a paper bag in
unison, because we’re on to a shoot-out. 3 pre-determined shooters, with 3 on
deck. Except there was a bit of a problem. Shooter #2 had to leave the game.
Remember those feral cats? Centreman, Lauren Leis fell victim and had to
leave the game late in the third period and wouldn’t be returning.
The plan shifted slightly and the shoot-out was on. Wild went
first, with goalie, Sloan
Cameron perfecting the classic goalie tracking strategy,
keeping the Wild out of her house. Knowing a goalie like I do, I’ve heard it
said that goalies live for the shoot-out. It finally gives them a chance to
show what they’re made of. It’s what they train for. It’s completely their jam.
And Cameron &
Kipfer proved that when the pressure’s on, goalies are
made of steel.
Next up, Emersyn
Miller went in for the win but was unable to find the net,
passing it back again to our end. Wild came back with a goal and it was time
for Avery Randall to
repeat her first goal. She held true, with a clean top corner goal and we were
back in business.
Giving Cameron a
much-needed rest, goaltender, Grace
Kipfer came in for the Wild’s third attempt, and held the
net, blocking their attempt to score. Next up, was Anne Nickel, who was
unable to score on the Wild’s goalie.
Cameron was back in for the Wild’s fourth
attempt and her strategy of cutting of the shooter’s angle yet again worked,
when her shot went “wild”.
Cue the fifth shooter, Paige Campbell, who’s notorious “leaning whistling wrist shot”,
angled just right, flew past the goalie and it was all over but the
celebrating. Disappearing into the ball of manic, screaming 9/10 year-old
girls, Campbell ducked
and covered and celebrated with her team-mates. They had pulled off possibly
the most intense win of their lives and lived to meet Saugeen in the next round
of the LLFHL play-somethings.
Next up for the girls, some Friday night action against the
Huron Heat in game 1 of their Provincial Playdowns?