The Dowler Karn Bantam AE Jr Stars have finished the
regular season in 3rd place behind a strong Strathroy team and a
disciplined Dorchester squad. The team’s
regular season record was 13 wins, only 4 losses and 3 ties for a total of 29 out
of a possible 40 points.
The boys started out strong with 4 wins and a tie in their first 5 games before dropping back-to-back games against a strong Ilderton goaltender. Then they rattled off 6 wins and 2 ties in their next 8 games to solidify their spot near the top of the standings. The team would only lose two more times, once to Strathroy and a disappointing 2-0 loss to Dorchester in their second to last game of the year.
The Bantam AE Jr Stars having been battling some adversity lately with a number of injuries in the line-up. They now face an uncertain future as they have been without forward Colin Wright and their captain Ryan Payne due to injury.
Several players have stepped up to fill in the gaps as best as possible though. Noah DosSantos and Brad Johnson recently had moved back to defence during our last tournament which meant that Dylan Buhler moved to center. Others have contributed in other ways though including Trent Riley with a shutout versus Mooretown in our final league game of the year, Chris Wood with an outstanding performance in the London tournament versus the West London Hawks and forwards such as Lane Westgate, Josh Hare playing big time minutes each and every game. The best part about our team though has been the fact that the boys are a “team” and received contributions from everyone. Whether, it’s Kyle Noviss on a fast break out of the zone, Payton Demeray with a key goal from high in the slot or Dylan Buhler working hard in the corners. Finally, the team wouldn’t be nearly as strong without solid defence from the pairs of Sam Graham and Noah Allen along with Justin May and Ryan Verhoeven. Both pairings have done an excellent job of playing our system well, making good first passes when needed or carrying the puck on some spectacular rushes. They’ve even scored a goal or two here and there to win a couple games.
Next up are our Playdowns versus the Merriton Bulldogs from St Catharines who are currently in 5th place in their league with a record or 9 wins, 9 losses and 3 ties. They are also ranked 165th out of 255 teams by My Hockey Rankings.com where we are ranked 184th. What does that all mean??? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!!! If our team plays to the level that they are capable of and we get the same solid goaltending that we’ve had all year long, we should do good and hopefully have a long run.
Playdowns begin this weekend at home... the schedule is posted below...
Harry