by Rick Rier
The winning
ways continue for this exceptional team of young ladies as the past three
weekends saw them chalk up two wins each weekend to close out November and
kick-off December. The streak vaulted them into a tie for first place with the
Guelph Jr Gryphons, who also have 22 points, with Walkerton having a game in
hand.
The weekend of Nov 22/23 first saw a home tilt against Sarnia, and a 4-1 victory with eight different players figuring into the scoring, then the Sunday match-up on the road against rival Saugeen Maitland. This game was not as close as the 3-2 would indicate as Walkerton carried the majority of the play.
To close out the month of November, they hosted two home games on Friday and Saturday nights. First up, Stratford came to town and was handed a solid 8-0 defeat. This a total team effort with eleven players earning at least a point, and Erica Parker another shut-out. Then Saturday evening Kitchener came to town, and missing two regular defensemen, the Walkerton Capitals Kinnettes played solid hockey right to the final buzzer for a solid 4-0 win. Cassidy Becker would turn aside all the opposition shots for yet another shut-out.
To start off December’s seven game schedule, the girls continued to roll over their opponents. With identical scores of 5-1 over Woodstock, and a return date with Stratford, the past six regular season match-ups have seen them out score their opponents by a healthy 29-5 margin.
A tenacious fore-check from all three lines, defense pairings that move the puck well, and a goaltending duo that every team in this league would love to have. That’s what coaches Brian Busby, Doug Wright, Tom Kittel, and Dennis Becker have instilled in these ladies. Needless to say they have listened and responded very well.
Three of their next four games are against some of the tougher rivals in their west division, like London, Bluewater and Guelph, the latter of which handed the girls the only regular season loss they have had so far this season. We all know they will be ready!