Fresh off wrapping up the York-Simcoe championship, the Novice AE Clippers nipped the pesky Pickering Panthers 1-0 in their first game of the Pickering Tournament.
The game was a real tight, well fought battle in the fourth meeting of the two teams this season. The first period saw all the Clippers lines applying good pressure which generated several quality scoring chances. The Panthers weren't without their chances though, but the Clipper defense held strong and moved the puck out of their zone effectively. The first period ended with no scoring.
In the second period, the Clippers continued to show a strong passing game and offensive zone pressure that led to good chances, but the Panthers goalie was equal to the task. Late in the second, it seemed the YSL champs might catch a break when David got into the clear but again the Panthers goalie stood large denying the Clipper's captain.
In the third period, the Clipper's defencemen did a stellar job of corraling the puck at the point and firing it back in to the forwards. This was rewarded at 13:21 when Marcus picked up the puck in the corner and zipped a pass in front of the net where Marley and Gabe were parked. Gabe picked up the pass and hit the twine to break the 0-0 deadlock.
Later in the period both Ethan and Mick were foiled by the Panthers goalie on chances to add an insurance marker. Down by a goal, the desperate Panthers picked up the pace and charged down the ice. The Stouffville D-men stood strong and the few times Pickering got through Nick came through with big stops. With the goalie pulled for the extra attacker, the Panthers were able to corral the Clippers in their zone and swatted away at the loose puck in the slot until Nick made a game-saver stop with 8.6 seconds remaining.
Our novice heros love nothing better than a close game and once again the cardiac kids came through!
reported by Andrew Philip