Feb 24, 2014 | Andrew | 730 views
Preliminary Round of YS Playoffs Completed
Our Atom AA Clippers continued to show their improved play in the recently completed preliminary round of the York-Simcoe Playoffs. In double round-robin play against Barrie, Georgina, and Richmond Hill, the Clippers finished in first place. The run included...
...two wins. three ties, and one loss.
Two of the most exciting games were comebacks against Georgina and Barrie.
Facing a resurgent Georgina team and down 2-0 late in the third, the Clippers pulled the goalie and managed to score with 27 seconds remaining. Most observers were probably thinking at that point that's how it would end. But with the goalie still pulled the Clippers managed to quickly control the puck inside the Georgina end, and as the clock ticked down in a desperate, mad scramble inside the zone, the puck suddenly scooted across the crease and appeared at the feet of a unmarked Clippers forward on the far post. And then just like that it was in the wide open net a fraction of a second before the buzzer sounded to end the game - in a 2-2 tie!
Against Barrie, the Clippers this time fell behind 3-0 by the 2nd period but again showed their newfound resilience by roaring back to tie the game 3-3 in the third, before again falling behind by a goal, and then tying it up late in the third to gain a crucial point.
The Clippers now move into the YS quarterfinals with another home-and-home round-robin series against OMHA quarter-finalists Newmarket and YS preliminary 4th place finisher, Richmond Hill, with the top two point-getters moving on to the YS semi-finals.
Go Clippers!