This past weekend turned out to be a weekend of firsts for the team of fourteen. The boys posted their first win of the year, JZ recorded his first shut-out, and their first regular season game is in the books (it was a well-earned “W” if you weren’t able to be there to enjoy it).
On Friday night, the black, red and white Novice Cyclones blew into Milverton for a last minute exhibition game. Right from the drop of the puck it was obvious that the boys were there to play. The forwards were working hard to get to loose pucks, getting shots on net and they made some excellent efforts to back check. The “blue liners” a.k.a. defensemen were stifling the Milverton attackers, made heads-up passes and cleared the puck up the boards out of their own end. If Milverton did manage a shot on net, goalie JZ had his stick in position and was able to cover the puck or play it into the corner.
Prior to the game, Coach Meulensteen discussed what it was going to take to be successful this year. Based on their performance and their post-game reflection, the team of fourteen heard him loud and clear. Following the game the boys could be heard making comments in the room like, “we skated hard”, “we gave 100%”,“we stayed in position”, “we made good passes” and “we took the puck to net”.
The final score of this match-up was 6-0 for the Cycs with goals coming from Harrison Meulensteen, Cole Schouten, Tate Vader, Matthew Leroux, and a pair from Sheldon Weale.
On Sunday afternoon, the Novice Cycs hosted Goderich for their first regular season match-up. Again, right from the first puck drop, it looked as if the boys hadn’t forgotten the lessons they had learned Friday in Milverton and that Goderich was in for a game. The scoring went back and forth for the first fifteen minutes of the game, but by the end of the second period the Cycs were down a pair of goals. However, Coach Meulensteen was impressed with his teams’ work ethic and their “never give up attitudes.” His team of fourteen backchecked like “hungry dogs” and along with some good defensive plays and some strong net minding, Goderich was only able to tally one more marker in the third. The black, red and white, however, went on an offensive tear and tallied five more goals for an impressive come from behind 8 – 6 win.
Goal scorers in this game were James Bender, Jesse Coombs along with Harrison Meulensteen, Tate Vader and Sheldon Weale who each added a pair. Fans could be overheard commenting on how exciting it was to watch the boys skate so fast, and play together as a team.
Everyone is looking forward to the exhibition match up on Tuesday night when team of fourteen take their new game and work ethic into Mitchell.
Your Media Correspondent
Greg