Dec 03, 2009 | cwalsh | 900 views
Joys Bantam Rep Sweep BCH Tournament
With only a nine man roster to field, the odds were stacked against the Joys Bantam Rep team
With only a nine man roster to field, the odds were stacked against the Joys Bantam Rep team when they arrived in Clinton on Saturday November 28 to participate in the BCH Rep Tournament but, with perseverance and determination, were able to come home on Sunday
with the gold medal.
In the first match of the day, the boys faced the tournament hosts and skated away with a 5-3 victory. The Walkerton team found their focus early as they dominated the first period
and scored three goals while shutting out the opposition. Cole Alexander opened the scoring with assists from Patrick Walsh and Callum Schaus. Two minutes later, Schaus would return to the BCH net with an unassisted marker of his own. Max Barclay finished the set with a clean shot off an excellent pass from Walsh.
The next period of play raised the Walkerton score further as Captain Patrick Walsh continued to lead his team with two more goals, one unassisted and the other with a lending hand from Alexander. BCH responded with a late goal to break the shut-out and end the period.
In the third, the home team took advantage of a tiring Walkerton squad and shortened the
lead by two more goals but were ultimately unable to close the gap before the clock ran out.
Game 2 would see the Capitals face off against a strong St. Marys team in a very close 3-2
win. Cole Alexander once again started the scoring late in the first with an assist by Schaus. Moments later, Lance Rock would score his first of the tournament, with the assist going to Walsh, ending all scoring until the final period.
St. Marys opened the third with their first goal only to have it neutralized by a second marker from Rock on an assist from winger John Ringel. The lead was threatened once more
when the opposition scored their second goal of the game but once more the Joys Boys'
determination kept them in the winners circle. This would advance the team to the finals on the following afternoon against the Mitchell Meteors.
Sundays' game proved to be a good one with two well matched teams going head to head
in an effort to take home the trophy. Walkertons offence came on strong in the first and paid off with a mid-period goal by Lance Rock , again assisted by linemate John Ringel. The battle would continue into the second when Mitchell sqeaked in the tying goal, setting off a flurry of attempts by both teams to overtake the lead. The close match would continue until the last three minutes of the game when the Walkerton coaches would call a time-out to plan their assault. The strategic move would pay dividends when, seconds later, Walsh delivered on a pass from Alexander for an exhilarating end to the game while securing the win and the gold medal championship.