ST THOMAS JR STARS ATOM TEAM GOLD CHAMPIONS AT HOME TOURAMENT – with a HUGE 5 GAME SWEEP
You know that feeling you get when you’re about to turn the key to a 500 horsepower engine, or when you stare down the side a mountain waiting for your turn to descend, or the rush of air as you step out of a perfectly good airplane to plunge to the ground skydiving. Well hold on to your seats, cause you haven’t experienced anything yet that compared to the level of play the ATOM STARS put in to win the ST THOMAS MAJOR TOURAMENT KEEPING THE GOLD AT HOME.
AWESOME WEEKEND OF HOCKEY, BOYS – CONGRATS!!!!!!!
Playing in a round robin format the TEAM won all four games, piling up an impressive 15 goals for and 5 against.
Game 1 win - ATOM STARS 3 Essex Ravens 2
Game 2 win - ATOM STARS 4 Fort Erie Meteors 1
Game 3 win - ATOM STARS 3 Southpoint Capitals 1
Game 4 win - ATOM STARS 5 Niagara Falls Canucks 1
Maclane Stringle and Ryan Bonter; what a pair of great goalies for the ATOM STARS TEAM as they stopped shot after shot aimed at the STARS net. Maclane has one hot glove hand this year. The glove is up and anything that came close to it is snagged in the leather. Ryan has the smooth move in between the pipes and can challenge any side to side action to stop the puck. Maclane was really tested early in the last game, with a breakaway player cutting towards the net, but he stood his ground and blocked the puck. Ryan in the Southpoint game had to endure an onslaught of players banging at the puck in front of him but quickly found it and dove on the puck preventing the Capitals of getting back into the game.
The first game against the Essex Ravens was the hardest game of the round robin. The STARS started the scoring for the STARS in the first period with a rush up the ice getting a pass from the boards, but the STARS found themselves on the losing end late in the third period, down 3-1. Not how they wanted to start this tournament off. The STARS TEAM were pressuring, the STARS FANS were cheering wanting a goal. With one minute left on the clock, with a pass down the wing and across the ice a shot was blocked by the Ravens defense, the forwards fought for control in front of the net and snagged the tying goal. But the STARS didn’t come to play in their home tournament for a tie and kept the pressure on Essex and with 28 seconds left on the clock as the STARS were buzzing around the Ravens net, the defense chipped a shot at the net and the forwards corralled it onto a stick and wristed in the winning goal. And the celebrations started for the STARS TEAM and did not look back from there steam rolling over all the rest of their opponents to capture home advantage going to the finals.
The STARS defensive squad are playing amazing in the tournament. The defense just chased down anyone who had the puck coming in and make sure that in the end that player is stripped away from the puck and turning back up the ice towards the other end. Not only are there great defensive plays made by them. But great offensive plays as well, finding chinks in the armour of the other teams and going coast to coast for the shot or ripping ones in from the blue line. The defence line just lit up the goalie for goal after goal. The forwards are having a great tournament getting to the net with a ton of shots. Keeping up high pressure and tight passing and just plain old banging and firing pucks at the net resulted in a lot of goals for them.
Getting goals is one thing, but goals would not come if it wasn’t for the play makers on the ATOM STARS TEAM. I really give you guys’ great credit and respect, KUDOS boys and great playing out there. Fighting hard for puck control and winning battles against the boards and breaking out down the ice to set up the plays, with your tremendous efforts the STARS TEAM has really come together.
The ST THOMAS JR STARS TEAM finished 1st overall in the round robin play and are headed to the GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS.
WOOOO WHOOOOO!!!!!
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS – ATOM STARS vs. Fort Erie Meteors
1st Period – STARS jump to a 1-0 lead with a goal coming from the defense on a break in down the wing from the STARS end.
2nd Period – Again the defence comes up big and extends the lead to 2-0 early on by flipping a puck at the net and somehow, the puck slid thru the five hole to a shocked Meteors` goalie
- Fort Erie then came alive making this a great Final and tied the game 2-2
3rd Period – ALL STARS – both offensively and defensively coming up with 3 more goals and a lot of Fort Erie chances being denied.
GAME RESULT = ATOM STARS 5 – Fort Erie Meteors 2 and the GOLD CHAMPIONSHIP FOR THEIR HOME CROWD and FANS
Fantastic well deserved win boys. You played full hard out 3 periods of hockey, never giving up on any play.
GO STARS!!!!