Finding Wally......
As of late, the Pinkertons Bantam Reps have been trying to find “Wally” in the third period for the past few games, only to come up short. Just to confirm the meaning of Wally, the "back of the net" is it’s reference. After forgoing the floods between the second and third intermission to help keep the momentum going, the Bantam Reps found some success in games vs Blyth and Minto.
In their game against Blyth in Wiarton on Nov 30 in Wiarton, the Predators played a very disciplined game and winning 4-2. Their next game was played again in Wiarton on Dec 3 vs the first place Minto Mad Dogs. Again, a very hard working group of boys took advantage of the Mad Dog’s long drive to the Peninsula. Using a strategy that would capture the energy of the two first periods, the boys fought hard in the third on their way to a 3-2 win. This win was a testament to the boy’s dedication of hard work and realization that they have the tools to be successful playing the teams in the top of the division.
Our strategy was challenged in our game with Chatsworth on Dec 6 in Wiarton. TDCMHA was a very fast club that outplayed our boys by using their passing and skating skills to the fullest. The Bantam Reps struggled but with some outstanding goaltending, keep TDCMHA at Bay and after the first 2 periods the score was tied at 1-1. In the third, it didn’t take long for some penalties to kick in. Some of these being controversial, our boys still worked hard but made it really tough to keep the number of shots down. With TDCMHA going ahead with what some would call a phantom goal, the Rebels gained momentum to get a few more berries to complete the game with a score of 5-1. It’s amazing what one goal can do to any team’s confidence.
Yesterday the boys travelled to Wingham en route to a 7-5 loss. With a very tough first period for a variety of reasons, the Predators found themselves down 5-1. This is where our boys found Wally 3 times in a row to make the game interesting. This was a fine and admiral effort by every single player on or team. A special mention goes out to Brendan Gilbert for displaying his hard work and dedication in his 3 goal performance. Great job Brendan! The boys seemed to play the way the can with the exception of a few costly but repairable mistakes. With 3 of our guys in the box, Wingham had taken advantage of that to go ahead to win.
These past few weeks have been an excellent learning experience for us. Between sickness and injury, we were finding ways to keep our heads above water in some games, while proving our hard work and dedication along with discipline win games in others. It takes 16 games to determine the outcome of the regular season. During this time, “player and team development” is our focus. Our boys are “learning” every one of these 16 games and proving that to be successful; the key ingredients include teamwork, communication and work ethic.
Next game will be this Tues in a rare exhibition game against Saugeen Storm in Wiarton with a game time of 7:00pm.