Mar 31, 2012 | NathanT | 712 views
Make that Nine!
Game 2 of the Pickering Tournament had the Clippers rise 'n shine up for an 8:30am start. Coach Phil worked the dressing room, extra-large java in hand declaring "Good thing we're morning people, right kids?"
Whether it was the aroma of the coffee or the high energy of the arena, the Clippers were certainly up to the task. Whereas the shooters stayed quiet in game one, rendering a 1-0 win against a formidable Pickering goalie, for game two, the Clippers stormed forward creating lots of offensive pressure and shots on the net. Taking an early lead, Hayden put in goal #1 in his first shift, and never looked back.
Hayden went on to earn a hat-trick.
It was clear that the Knights were destined to spend a lot of time on their heels as the puck stayed firmly lodged in the Knights zone for much of the first period. By the second period, the Knights were connecting more effectively and the Clippers had to work harder on the back check and to clear pucks from the house, which they managed neatly through most of the play. The defense put up some excellent passing to the engineer the break-out plays, and the forwards kept up the pressure, bringing the score to a commanding 4-0 mid-way through the game.
Nick, had a quieter time in the first half than the back-end of this game. Making some impressive stops and side to side maneuvers, our goal-tending once again frustrated another gang of sharp shooters. The Knights finally managed to find a hole, and put up a singleton goal in the third. They followed on a sweet 2 on 1 passing play executed on the powerplay to give them 2. But the Clipper score was already at 5, and not quite finished yet, as the team marked one more goal to make it 6-2.
It was over by then, but not as far as David was concerned... In the final 7 seconds, #9 snatched up the pass around the Clipper blue line and raced like the wind, clearly poised put up one more point and earn his own hat trick to accompany Hayden's. Tripped at ideal striking distance, the refs made the penalty shot call as the final buzzer sounded. An unusual end to the game, David skated the distance with 0.0 on the clock, made three dekes, stayed patient, and David's back-hand once again put up a crowd-pleaser of a goal.
Final tally : 7-2 for the Clippers.
The team left the arena sitting in first place following the preliminary round, and waiting to see who they will face on Sunday, April 1st at 10am for a semi-final match-up. Stay-tuned fans! Clipper action continues on April Fool's Day. The website will be updated once the game is set (opponent, time and LOCATION).
SPECIAL SHOUT OUT to MIKE, finally home from the hospital and eager to hear play by play action during and after the games! Don't worry MIKE, Allan is doing us all proud out there.