Sep 20, 2016 | mdowner | 1396 views
Regular Season Underway
The NCP 2005 Minor Peewee team commenced their regular season at home to two of the best teams within the ETA and the Province of Ontario this past weekend. The results proved to be encouraging for the team and their season moving forward...
On Saturday afternoon the team hosted the Barrie Jr. Colts for their season opener. The Colts are a fast, big and offensively strong team and we knew exactly what we were facing. The boys held the Colts to three goals by the end of the first, given that they significantly lacked in their speed and ability to jump on the puck and force turnovers. With the team being on the penalty kill for a third of each period, it made room for error for the Preds and easy scoring chances for the Colts. Visibly, the Preds lacked the cohesiveness in passing, and found it difficult to generate any offense. They couldn't find the speed or the passing equations to fire any legitimate shots on net. Exceptional force between the pipes by Traytin Scott was an asset in the outcome. It was a perfect benchmark for the players to know exactly where they need to get to be able to make their mark on the board and keep the final result close.
Sunday September 18th brought YSE, another experienced, strong and exceptionally quick team into our house. The Preds came out fast and hard and held the Express to only 3 goals by the end of the 2nd period. The third period opened up with two quick goals from the Express taking their lead to 5-0. Many penalties ensued from both teams resulting in elevated tempers. The Preds managed to get on the board escaping a shutout, with a goal from Downer off a pass from Thornbury with the final sitting at 7-1.
Increased speed, aggressive forechecking and phenomenal goal tending by Lincoln Buck made for a more positive outing for the boys. Each and every player stepped up their level of play in comparison to the prior game and it showed.