The
West Northumberland U11 B Wild have punched their
ticket to the
OWHA Tier II East Division Finals, after a close 3-game
series with the North Durham Blades.
Playoff Recap:
Game 1: The Wild opened the series on home
ice, hosting the Blades at the CCC-Bowl.
The Blades came out on top and handed the Wild a 1-0 loss, in a
back-and-forth affair. The lone goal of
the game was scored in the second period, after a frenzy in front of the Wild net
and, after a few stops by Dylan E., the Blades finally managed to slide
one past the Wild goalie. The hometown
Wild applied a lot of pressure late, with their goalie pulled, but were unable
to even the score.
Game 2: The Wild travelled to Uxbridge and
with their backs against the wall, in a do-or-die game, the girls answered the
bell and came out on top with a 2-0 win to force a third game in the
series. With a persistent forecheck and
their defense remaining strong on the blue line, the Wild girls applied
constant pressure to the Blades team throughout the game. The Wild opened the scoring at the 5:20 mark
of the second period with a goal from Kenzie S. (assisted by Alexis
M. and Kennedy C.). The Wild
successfully limited the chances of the Blades and netted an insurance marker
with 2:51 left in the third period, scored by Haevan D. (assisted by Emmy
L. and Abby B.). Dylan E.
stood tall in the Wild net and recorded the shutout.
Game 3: The Blades had home ice advantage in
the series, so the Wild were on the road in Port Perry for the series deciding game. The teams traded scoring
opportunities at both ends of the ice, but neither were able to find the back
of the net and when regulation ended, they were knotted up at 0-0 and headed to
4-on-4 overtime. Late in the OT frame,
the Blades top scorer broke through the Wild defenders and was in all alone on
Dylan E., where she casually turned away the shot with a steady right pad save. The 10-minute sudden death overtime period
solved nothing, and they would be headed to unchartered territory for this
team…a 5-player shootout! The first Wild
shooter, Kenzie S., was stopped by the Blades goaltender, followed by Haevan D.
who managed to beat the goalie, but not the post! At the other end of the ice Dylan E. stopped the
Blades’ first two shooters. The third
attempt for the Wild was taken by Maddy L., she managed to beat the
North Durham goalie low on the blocker side to record the first goal of the
shootout and put the Wild ahead. After
Dylan E. stopped the next two North Durham attempts and the Blades keeper made
a tough save on a shot attempt from Kennedy C., the fifth Wild shooter had the
game & series on her stick. Aubree R.
stepped up and confidently ripped a shot high over the goalie’s blocker to secure
a 1-0 win and clinch the series for the U11 B Wild. Dylan E., once again, was unbeaten and
recorded her second consecutive shutout win.
The girls now await the winner of the Peterborough Ice Kats
and Otonabee Wolverines series. Please
watch for the schedule to be made and come out to support the U11 B Wild. We would like to thank our sponsor, Graphic
Packaging International, Inc…without your support, none of this would be
possible.