WHAT A GREAT SEASON, News, Novice A ('02), 2010-2011 (St. Thomas Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2010-2011 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Mar 02, 2011 | dale nurse | 965 views
WHAT A GREAT SEASON
THE ST THOMAS NOVICE STARS FINISH THE REGULAR SEASON WITH A WIN AND OPEN THE SHAMROCK PLAYOFFS WITH A COMEBACK TIE

Despite being down so many players to the flu, the NOVICE STARS beat Parkhill 4-2, to end the regular season with an impressive record of 14-9-3.  Give yourselves a great round of applause boys, it was a great journey.  The STARS TEAM then opened the playoffs with a remarkable; never give up attitude, comeback to tie the South Huron Sabres 5-5.  We keep saying it, but because of the TEAM effort and playing three periods of hockey, believing in yourself and trusting your teammates, the boys have this success.

Both goalies played with such heart and passion for the game.  Not to mention both being sick as a lot of their teammates.  Ryan Bonter came out in the Parkhill game and had a command performance.  He made some excellent butterfly saves and despite a cloudy head, made some great plays with a hot glove hand.  Ryan sank the hopes of the Parkhill fans, as he challenged the shooter on a breakaway and came away with the puck in his glove.   

The first period ended in a 1-1 draw, as Hunter Nurse dug for the puck at the side of the net and found an opening to put it in.  The STARS opened the game wide up in the second, while playing four-on-four, Alex Popen battled for control on the boards, won and fed Ethan Miron a backhand pass, Ethan lifted it over the goalie shoulder, into the net.  Keavan Milmine racked up two more goals for the end of the season.  Hunter battled or the puck in the corner, he sent a pass to the speedy Keavan, who wristed it in.  James Martin also curled one up from the blue line and hit a long pass to a breaking Keavan to score again.  The offense just kept skating and kept winning the battles for control of the puck.

Giving our goalie great puck support was the outstanding plays of the defense work of Evan Clarke and Colton Wiacek.  Both players owned the blue line at each end of the ice.  They were cutting off so many rushes by the Parkhill players.  Colton Robison-Sareh and Jack Pigram were setting up play after play to keep the pressure up in the Parkhill end.  Jayce Smith and Brennen Smith added to the frustration of Parkhill as they pinned the puck deep in their end and kept firing shot after shot towards the net.  Jayce and his line had some great fore checking plays to stop the advance of Parkhill.

In the opening Shamrock playoff game, we were down one goalie and a few players and being under the weather himself; Maclane Stringle just came out like a storm trooper and played his stand up game for the STARS TEAM.  Maclane settled the play for the NOVICE STARS and again came up with the big saves.  With some hot pad reflexes and some great blocker saves; Maclane weathered the storm.  KUDOS Maclane, GREAT JOB!!!

If you were a spectator this was a complete on edge, get your blood pumping, intense game.  It was a game where you just kept cheering and cheering the STARS on.  The STARS were constantly in a hole, battling back.  After the first we were down 0-2.  The coaches brought the boys to a huddle by the bench and gave them a pep talk to settle them down and to give them the confidence and guidance to get back into the game.  “Let’s play our game and here’s what we do…..”  Little by little the STARS came back, but again found themselves down by two at the end of the second, 1-3.  The STARS were winning the faceoffs and the period but it wasn’t there on the scoreboard.  The third period was a toss up between the two teams, but the NOVICE STARS played with such soul and passion for the jersey and battled back to even the score 5-5.  Both teams had a chance to take it in the last minute of the game, but both goalies stood strong.  So many times you could hear the cheers and sighs of the fans.

James Martin ended the day with a hat trick.  James broke out skating, going end-to-end, 200 feet, to keep scoring.  As were all the boys, the smiles just kept coming and coming to the bench.  What a great game effort James.  Also getting to turn the red light on for the STARS was Keavan Milmine as he received a pass from Brennen Smith from the side boards.  Ethan Miron scooped up a pass from Hunter Nurse to score on a twisting move from behind the net.

Every player stepped up in this game.  Brady DeDeker gave some inspiring plays and rushes to the South Huron net and kept forcing the play in their end.  Brady worked and worked to make sure the puck went the other way towards South Huron.  Josh Niles and Mike Roth were like bulldogs on their shifts.  Wherever a Sabres player was, so were they.  They hunted each one down and stopped the offense and turned the puck the other way.  Mike had a great defensive game while Josh played an excellent game as a forward.  Alex Popen created many holes and kept going and going, setting up some great scoring opportunities.  Colton Wiacek played some great heads up hockey, getting back so fast in the play to stop many breakaways by the Sabres.  The entire defense moved the puck around to get it to our offensive players to keep up the nail biting frenzy.  The forwards kept coming back to the bench saying, let’s get another one and kept their spirits high thru the game.

WHAT A GREAT COMEBACK GAME BOYS!!!!  TALK ABOUT A TEAM EFFORT!!

LET’S TAKE IT ALL THE WAY!

GO STARS!!!!