Confidence key to the Aces Game
The Romeo Pet Hospital PeeWee A’s have entered the 2022/23 season with a 1-1-1 record after opening the season on the road in Owen Sound to a 0-0 draw, then being handed a tough defeat 3-1 by the Cambridge Roadrunners Saturday, only to turn it around Sunday with a confident 4-1 domination of the Waterloo Ravens in the OWHA Central West Division.
The Aces completed their first tourney of the season in the quarter-finals in last weekend’s ‘Pink the Rink’ in Etobicoke, bowing out to the eventual tourney winning Woolwich Wild 1-0 in a devastating loss.
Prior to Sunday’s game, The Ace lone regular season goal came from the Aces feisty center Selina Gethke in the Roadrunner’s 3-1 triumph over the Aces Saturday.
After Sunday’s win, in his post-game media scrum, Coach Ryan Porter explained that the key to Ace success lies in the confidence to move the puck which starts in their own end. Sunday’s game was the game to turn Ace fortunes around and the girls accomplished this with sound execution of zone clearance and pass rushing though the neutral zone allows for the establishment of offensive zone pressure and chances at the net and this was apparent Sunday afternoon in Waterloo. 3 of the Ace goals came from pass rushes which allowed Stratford’s sharp shooting trio of Carali Hugill, Teya Anderson and Taylor Miller to each weave their way through the Ravens D, propelled by crisp passes from Linley Porter and Myla Burdett, Brooklyn Finnie, and Micki McDonald to bury 3 of the Aces goals up and over the Raven’s net minder. These plays all began deep in the Ace zone with on-ice awareness of the puck to move the play up ice with the developing confidence the team needed to execute. Teya Anderson added another while Ace net minder Reese Flanagan ensured the win defending late pressure from the Ravens late in the 3rd.
The Ace gunners look to get even with the red-hot Woolwich Wild on the road Thursday evening and the London Devilettes Sunday before gearing up for the Waterloo Fall Challenge Cup Nov 4-6 in Waterloo.