Dec 01, 2018 | Dave Mattingly | 492 views
We're Moving Forward
Mid-way through November, the PW Rep team was given the opportunity to play in the Legion Pee Wee Tournament, in Lucknow. It's an invite only tournament, that was made available to our boys through a generous donation from Walkerton Legion Branch 102.
Our team struggled for puck possession in our first game against the host team, and while our second game also saw us on the underside of the score board, it was a much better hockey game all around.
As our way of saying thank you to Branch 102, on November 25th, the boys dedicated a Sunday morning to serving breakfast at the Legion in Walkerton. The Legion estimated close to 200 patrons that morning, which was a 25% increase from what they would normally see. The team did a fantastic job, and it was refreshing to see the level of courtesy and respect that was delivered by these boys.
Later that evening (25th), Saugeen Shores Alternate Entry team was in town for our second, of four, meetings this season. Our visitors were looking for retribution as our first meeting went heavily in our favor with a 7-3 win. Retribution they got, and although we had some shining moments in the game, the host PW Rep boys were kept off the scoreboard in a 2 - 0 hockey game.
On Friday, November 30th, our two teams met again, in Southampton, and while we appeared to get off to a slow start, there was a fair bit of back and forth action which in the end, benefited the Saugeen Storm. Even though it played more like a tie game, the Storm skated off the ice with a 5-3 victory.
Despite only having a few wins this season, we are seeing some growth with this young team, made up almost entirely of first year PW's. The coaching staff has been focusing on some of the basics, such as one-on-one battles for puck possession, commitment and attacking the net. We are also encouraging them to trust one-another, to be confident in their breakout, and to re-group the puck, instead of just throwing it away. It's not perfect, and there is still room for improvement, but shift-by-shift, we are seeing some growth, and moving forward is all that we can ask for right now.