Storm Finish with a Win and a Loss on the Weekend.
The U11C Division is tightening up and the boys faced two strong teams on a back to back.
The Storm Lose a Close Game to Belle River
The top two teams in the Bluewater U11C division faced each other on Friday night to battle it out. The last game had Erie losing 5-2 in a game where Belle River played a strong offensive game around the Erie crease, completing several chances to tap in pucks. The Storm started strong, showing off some good passing, something emphasized in practice over the Christmas break. Furthermore, a strong forecheck led to several good chances including a nice two foot back pass from Larsen to Spitse for a good chance on net. With Patrick Nantais suffering from the flu and leaving part way through the game, it was up to the defense to fill his void and it was smooth skating defenceman Grayson Fraumeni who took the lead. Doing his very best Scott Niedermeyer impression he repeatedly hauled the puck out of danger in the defensive zone, led the rush offensively and provided key assists on several goals. Emmitt Santarossa remained hot with the opening goal and Zack Hammond, Alessio Incitti and Sam Hammel also kept the game close, but Belle River continued to work hard around the Erie net, despite the strong play of Carter Russell, giving them the 5-4 win. It was a strong offensive performance for the team with some good passing and forechecking, but Belle River is a strong team that always seems to find ways to score. For his most dominant game of the season, Fraumeni won player of the game.
The Boys get a Bounce Back Win Against Windsor.
On Saturday, the third place Windsor Jr. Spitfires were in Kingsville to play a motivated team coming off their second loss in league play. Windsor had previously knocked off Belle River showing strong improvement over the season, particularly in the net where their goalie is always difficult to beat. With Nantais still out with the flu, Black Ace Serge Diab was asked to step into the line up, with Raegan Spitse dropping back to defense. Diab has been working very hard in practice and without a doubt was ready to go. The boys had their characteristically strong forecheck going and dominated the offensive zone. Again, Santarossa opened the scoring keeping his goal streak alive. However, Windsor replied making it 1-1. Declan Bosveld has played energetic hockey over the past several games and when he uses his size and speed is a menace in the offensive zone on the forecheck. It is fitting that this hard work translated into a goal to make it 2-1. However, despite the boys controlling the play, Windsor was still in it until Owen Martin grabbed the puck in the defensive end and went coast to coast on a freight train of a rush up the boards to make it 3-1. Critical to maintaining the 3-1 advantage was solid defensive play by the defense. Jackson Schneckenberger had several nice rushes to get the puck out of trouble and Tyler Mayer won puck battle after puck battle. Spitse who had not played defense up to this point in the season used his speed to track down several players threatening to score, but it was his defensive partner Vinny Sperduti who was most impressive. Not large in stature, Sperduti plays a foot taller, never shying away from physical play and playing heads up hockey making nice passes and generating good offensive chances. This was on full display all game and for that he won player of the game. Jaxon Keller was solid between the pipes to ensure the 3-1 victory.
The boys are off to Columbus, OH for a tournament next weekend on a quest to win their third tournament of the year. Competition looks stiff, so it should be a good challenge for them to see if they can build off their strong game against Windsor.
Article by Coach Larsen