Heartbreak in Harriston
Submitted By Tawnya Schlosser on Sunday, March 07, 2010
The Hanover L.L. Falcons took on the tough Minto Mad Dogs in a Saturday evening game, March 7th. Both teams were determined to seal their play-off spot and came out fighting.
Hanover started quickly with some great early shots by Christian Vandepoll and Cameron Rourke which were blocked by the Minto goalie. Defensemen Brody Weber and Dawson Gilkenson did a fantastic job clearing the zone and holding the blue line which helped to keep Hanover on the offensive. At 3:34 of the first, Dale Leroux opened the scoring with a high backhand, which was assisted by Gilkenson. The second period saw both teams turning up the pressure. AP player Ryan Colquhoun dug hard along the boards while Nathan Oelschlagel, Adam Knoll and Luke Breen assisted netminder Caden Prues by blocking a number of Minto's shots. The second period was a scoreless one, with both teams evenly matched. Olivia Schlosser, Blake Walters and Keifer Teeple were driving the puck down into the Minto end, but the Mad dogs defense continued to clear it. The third period opened with several big saves by Prues. The puck was flying off the pads and the posts, frustrating the Mad dog players and fans alike. Early in the third, Hanover racked up 2 penalties, but managed to kill them off with some superb goaltending and some amazing defensive work. However, getting 2 different penalities in the closing minutes proved to be too much for the Falcons, as Minto slipped into the Hanover zone and put one in off a rebound shot to tie the game. Although the Falcons worked valiently to get the go-ahead goal, the game went into overtime. With both teams showing signs of fatigue, they pressed on with determination. At 5:59 of OT, Leroux scored what appeared to be the game winner, but the referees called no goal on account of a Minto penalty for too many men on the ice. The Falcons pressed on, but Minto managed to slip around the defense at 3:24 and put one past Prues to win the game 2-1. Tough loss guys! Get it back on Saturday!
