Novice AE Storm met for a sixth and final time against the Tecumseh Eagles on Saturday afternoon in another must win situation.
After having been ahead 5-1 in a six point series, this Storm team and their fans had watched the tough Tecumseh team battle back and win 2 consecutive games, tying the series at 5 points a piece. Saturday's showdown would decide who would advance to the OMHA Finals. Winner of this game moves on, loser returns to league play.
Fans packed the Kingsville arena to cheer them on. The first period was a surprising disappointment. Eagles scored within the first 30 seconds of the game. By the end of the first period, Eagles had a 3-0 lead on the hometown team.
Our kids refused to give up, and came out battling hard in the second period. Getting pucks to the Eagles net, they dominated the Tecumseh team. Ashton scored a sweet goal on a rebound, and the arena ignited in cheers. The kids responded by rallying and working hard, fighting back and looking for another goal. A nice rush by Ben a few minutes later resulted in a second Storm goal, and the crowd started coming alive with excitement. The entire Storm team started pushing pucks toward the net, and soon we had a third goal, compliments of Connor. By the end of the second period, the kids had tied the game and the adults were on the edge of their seats.
Storm continued to dominate in the third period. The Tecumseh netminder stayed strong despite numerous shots on net by Storm players, forcing an overtime.
Lots of back and forth action ensued; both teams hungry for a win and what it would mean. With only 52.6 seconds remaining, Nevan rebounded a shot into the back of the Eagles net, catapulting the Storm to victory.
Amazing game, kids! Congratulations to our Novice AE team and coaches for advancing in the playdowns and becoming OMHA finalists!!!!!
Next series will be versus Belle River Canadiens 2 team for the title. Watch the website for schedule updates so you can come cheer us on!