The Major Bantam AA Kings travelled to Waterloo the weekend of November 15th to compete in the Waterloo Memorial Tournament. Whether it was the five hour drive or the excitement of another weekend away, the Kings got off to an unusually sluggish start.
The tournament opener against the Waterloo Wolves Gold found the Kings fighting back from two quick goals against them in the second period. Late in second period Drew Cotnam dumped the puck into the corner creating an opportunity for Theo Todd who, despite being hauled down to his back in front of the net, managed to get his stick on the puck and slide it through the five hole of the Waterloo goalie. On a mission, Tyler Manderson stepped over the blue line and wired an arching shot that found its way into the net early in the third period. With the score tied at 2-2 the Kings comeback eased off when they found themselves in penalty trouble. Despite the solid goaltending of Hudson Kelly along with the strong defensive play of Cameron McLean, Tanner Barnett, Ethan Percy, Brett Lannin and Jacob Shankar that allowed the Kings to kill of the penalties, it just wouldn’t be enough. Two quick goals by the Wolves in the last minute of play would seal the fate of the Kings with a 4-2 loss.
Later that day the Kings would face the higher-ranked Kitchener Rangers. Still looking for their legs the Kings fought hard all game but could not put the puck past the hot Rangers goaltender. Nick Nadeau worked hard to close close the door on the Rangers for the entire first period but eventually gave up two goals in the second and another in the third to end the game with a 3-0 loss.
With the dawn of a new day the Kings came out hard and fast against the familiar Seaway Valley Rapids squad. Kelly remained solid in net to allow Todd to open the scoring in the first period with a power play goal. Seaway tied it up at 1-1 early in the second period. Tate Leeson scored a go ahead goal before the end of the second period assisted by Brett Lannin. It would be a fruitful third period for the kings with four more goals scored by Michael Urban, Nolan Cordick, another for Leeson and one for Randy Keller and Todd, Leeson, Shawn Patterson, Percy, Lannin, Shankar, Brad Nash and Cordick all credited with assists. The final score of 6-1 in favour of the Kings was a key turning point in the tournament.
Heading into game four the Kings knew that not only were they in a must-win situation but they would also need a little help to have any chance of advancing to the semi-finals. In his second game of the day, Kelly continued to give the Kings every opportunity by remaining solid in net as they faced the North London Nationals. Two thirds of the way through the final period Leeson, assisted by Barnett, opened the scoring. With the goalie pulled late in third, the Nationals increased the pressure. The nail-biting final few minutes of play were made even more exciting with Kelly’s rapid and successive saves and Percy’s shot block to save the game and, as it turned out, the tournament. The Kings would walk away with a 1-0 victory with the shutout going to Kelly.
The Kings would have to wait late into the night to learn they had earned a spot in the semi-final round. With no time to celebrate the Kings returned to the ice for an early re-match against the first place Kitchener Rangers. The game remained scoreless at the end of the first period but with a quick powerplay goal by the Rangers in the second period it became apparent that redemption for the earlier loss would not come easy for netminder Nadeau. However the Kings responded soon after with a Barnett signature slapshot goal from the point by assisted by Manderson and Cordick. Before the second period ended Cotnam scored what would turn out to be the game winning goal with assists going to Nash and Keller. It was this goal that gave the Kings the confidence they needed to increase their forecheck and throw the smooth passing Rangers off their game. With the goalie pulled and an extra attacker on the ice, the Rangers fought hard to take the game into overtime with a slapshot from the point. Through the screen, Nadeau was able to punch the puck to the corner with a beautiful blocker save. The 2-1 win earned the Kings their spot in the final.
Having bounced back from two initial losses in the tournament and landed in the final game the Kings craved victory. The undefeated Sarnia Jr. Sting proved to be a very physical opponent. It was a goalie’s game for the first 7 or 8 minutes with end-to-end action but the Kings would overcome penalty trouble and put the first marker on the board with a trademark goal from Barnett, assisted by Patterson. After receiving the puck from Keller, Shankar would seize the opportunity to rush it during a bad shift change by the Sting to put the Kings up 2-0. The first period ended with a 2-1 lead for the Kings. Assisted by Cordick and Keller, Nash would score a powerplay goal early in the second period. Before the second period ended Leeson assisted Keller on the final goal of the game to put the Kings in the lead 4-1. Steadfast goaltending by Nadeau would hold the score at 4-1 in favour of the Kings.
Coaches Phil Patterson, Gauri Shankar, Brad Nash and trainer Dave Lannin, along with all the parents who made the trip were very proud of the boys’ efforts and accomplishments. Go Kings go!
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