Midget “As” mighty
The Sooke Midget A boys played their most exciting games yet this past weekend (Feb. 11 and 12). After near heart-stopping action in Sooke on Saturday that had them finish down by one against Juan de Fuca, Sooke came back at Pearkes arena Sunday to end the south Vancouver Island playoffs in top spot.
Saturday’s game split the action between both ends. Juan de Fuca got two quick goals midway through the first period, which Sooke answered with goals by Tyler Smith and Sasha Perron. JDF edged ahead again, then Clay McClimon tied it before the end of the period.
In the second, JDF got two goals, but Sooke’s Keltan Chandler narrowed the gap early in the third. JDF then scored again. Sooke’s offence put the pressure on but had a tough time getting by JDF’s goaltender. Finally, McClimon scored making it 5-6, but despite a barrage of shots at JDF’s goal, they couldn’t get through again.
This score put Sooke, Saanich and JDF into a close battle for the top spot in south Vancouver Island. Both Saanich and JDF had two wins so a win for Sooke in Saanich would even it out. Goals for and against would count so Sooke had to win the game by at least two goals to clinch it.
Ryan Litoski got Sooke’s first goal, but Saanich’s goaltender proved too tough to beat for the rest of the period. Then Saanich tied it up on a power play, making that two goal lead seem further out of reach. Then Cole Navarrete scored a shorthanded goal for Sooke putting them ahead by one.
Sooke battled much of the rest of the game shorthanded, but the defenders stepped up and Nick Dueck made some outstanding saves. Then Tom Kirk got the needed goal, with extra insurance from Navarrete and Chandler for a 5-1 win.
This weekend Sooke begins the battle for Vancouver Island, with a sudden death game against Kerry Park.
Sooke 2 for 1 Pizza Midget C1 played two games this past weekend.
Despite an extremely short bench, the first, against Saanich C2, finished with a final score of 4-2 thanks to a hat trick by Kyle Lajeunesse (Dustin Sudlow, Lucas Lajeunesse, Jordan Brooks, Ryan Seeburger, Francis Bertoia) and a single by Lucas Lajeunesse (Bertoia). Dylan Clements was rock solid between the pipes.
The second, against Peninsula C1 ended in a 2-2 tie after a hard-fought battle played by two teams that came to win. Ryan Seeburger (Brendan David) slipped one in early in the first period and Kyle Lajeunesse (Lucas Lajeunesse) scored the second goal in the second period. Derrick Duffy was on fire in the net.
Atom C2 wins big over JDF C4
This past Saturday’s game against JDF C4 was a great example of good teamwork by every player on the bench, as quoted after the buzzer by Coach Rich D’Appolonia. The excitement started early when, four minutes into the first period, Dale Arden scored an unassisted goal and set the tone for what was to be a fantastic game! Sooke was all over the opposing team from the get-go and just about everyone had at least one shot on net. Notably, four other players went on to contribute to the scoreboard, including: Kyle Brown, Bentley MacKinnon, Kohl Logan, and Jacob Thomas, but the 10-2 final score wouldn’t have been possible without the relentless hustle by assisting players such as forward Mark Dyson, and Sooke’s strong defence. An outstanding effort by Travis McCrea, Alex Perman, Ryder Norman, and Josh Gilbert-Bernard not only helped shut the opposition down, but also contributed to four of Sooke’s 10 goals. As always, exceptional goaltending by Nick Haisell was a key factor in Sooke’s success, as exemplified by an awesome glove save early in the third period. What a great weekend for Sooke Atom C2.
