BRACEBRIDGE — Friday night saw the Swiss Chalet novice Bears travel to Parry Sound for the fourth game of their round robin playoffs.
The first period saw both teams come out strong. The Bears’ Jens van’t Wout put up the game’s first marker less than a minute into play. He was assisted by Carter Veitch.
The teams continued to battle for the puck. The Shamrocks tied the game halfway through the first on a goal by Jayden Steele, assisted by Brody Schneider and Carter Corbett. The goalies continued to be tested at both ends, but were flawless between the pipes.
The second period saw the Bears gain their momentum, adding six goals to their score, with a pair of goals each by Veitch, Connor Quemby and Josh Dikeos. Assists went to van’t Wout (2), Jacob Hammond (3), Quemby, Dikeos and Brennen Maher (3).
The goals did not deter the Shamrocks, who in the last 90 seconds of the period added two markers of their own, to end the period 8-3.
The third frame saw the depth and teamwork of the Bears bench shine as the entire team added to the lead by adding another seven markers. Goals were scored by Veitch (2), van’t Wout, Brayden Sorensen, Quemby and Hammond (2). Assists went to Sorensen, van’t Wout (3), Veitch (2), Maher (2), Hammond, Dikeos (2), Quemby, Kristofer Brinks and Rhiannon Crichton.
Goalie Preston Huntbach shut out the Shamrocks for the entire third period. The Bears took home the win 14-3.
Saturday saw the Bears host the Huntsville Otters. Both teams hit the ice with an intensity you could feel in the stands.
The penalty box was filled fast, with players from both teams finding their seat only a couple of minutes into play. With big ice and 4-on-4 hockey, the Bears took advantage, keeping the play at the blue-line.
Dikeos fired it on net, but was denied by the Otters goalie. Partner van’t Wout found the rebound, only to be robbed, but Veitch made no mistake and took the third rebound up high and in for the Bears’ first marker.
Bracebridge was quick to add another marker a minute later, thanks to hard work by Hammond, who deked through traffic, taking a shot on net. Hammond was denied, but adeptly picked up his own rebound, wrapped around the net and passed to the tape of Dikeos. Dikeos fired it on net, but was also denied. Quemby, who was in perfect position, finished it with a great shot that found the back of the Otters net.
The Bears weren’t done yet. Only 90 seconds later, off a faceoff in the Otters zone, Quemby nimbly won the faceoff and shot back to Dikeos, who one-timed it high and in for the Bears’ third and final marker of the period.
The second period saw the Otters tame the Bears’ scoring. A quick paced, end-to-end period played out with the goalies being tested in both zones. Both goalies were perfect between the pipes and shut down all scoring.
The third period continued to thrill the fans with edge-of-your-seat hockey. The intensity grew and both penalty boxes were kept warm for most of the frame. The Otters showed their character, putting up their first marker on a nice goal by Riley Earl, assisted by Kyler Campbell and Matthew Schnurr, making a game of this match.
The Otters turned up the heat, driving in hard to the net. With only 95 seconds left in the game the Otters went straight to the net; Huntbach stood tall and took it straight on and with a huge save, secured the Bears’ win 3-1.
The novice Bears’ third game of the weekend was hosting the Shamrocks on home ice for the sixth and last game of their MPS playdown round robin on Sunday. The Bears set the pace from the drop of the first puck.
Just a couple of minutes into the first, Hammond, Dikeos and Quemby drove down the rink, passing their way through the Shamrocks and with a sharp backhand by Dikeos, put it past the Shamrock netminder for the Bears’ first marker. Less than 60 seconds later, Logan Babcock snapped a pass to Veitch, who found the back of the net on a high backhand to put the Bears up by two.
With the period winding up, and only three seconds left on the clock, Veitch split the Shamrocks and fired a shot top shelf, to end the period 3-0.
The tempo continued to be fast through the second and saw the Shamrocks fire up the game with numerous attacks on net, but Bracebridge netminder Matthew Hastings denied them all. Short-handed, Dikeos drove in with the puck and took a quick shot, to be denied by the netminder, but on a rebound Quemby fired off another shot from the other side of the net — Shamrock netminder was everywhere.
On a risky move, three in deep while short-handed, Hammond flew in to the front of the net and buried it to put up the Bears’ fourth goal. A couple of minutes later, Sorensen was screaming down the ice and with a quick decision, fired a pass to the tape of Veitch, who made no mistake finding the back of the net.
Sorensen, taking the faceoff deep in the Shamrock zone, won it back to the blue-line, where Veitch unloaded a huge slapshot that rocked the net, to put the Bears up by six. A couple of minutes later, with heavy traffic created at the net by Veitch, Babcock and Sorensen, Sorensen tucked it in for the Bears’ seventh of the game.
Sixty seconds later, the same line monopolized the puck, this time with Veitch finding the back of the net on a high backhand, putting the Bears up by eight. With the clock running down on the second period, Babcock and Sorensen made the play back to the defence, where Crichton kept it in at the blue-line and let a rocket shot go, to put up the Bears’ ninth and close out the second.
The Shamrocks were down, but continued to be a force to be reckoned with. The third period was physical, and the penalty box was kept warm on both sides. Quemby, pushing the faceoff forward in the Shamrock end, stepped around his opponent and neatly lifted the puck, for a power-play goal for the Bears.
Shamrock goalie Darrin Bloor was incredible, with countless shots on net and getting injured, he stood tall between the pipes to rob the Bears at every opportunity with quick glove saves and an impenetrable butterfly for the remainder of the third. The Bears took home the game 10-0, with the shutout going to Matthew Hastings.
The Bears are now headed undefeated into their next round of playoffs.