Jan 15, 2017 | pdavis | 287 views
Liftlock Atom Tournament
Thursday January 12, 2017 would mark the first games of the 59th annual Peterborough Liftlock Atom Tournament.
The kids were having a busy week with a game on Monday...the skills competition on Tuesday(through bad weather) and a return trip Wednesday to collect the Team Award for the Skills.
As Thursday rolled around the kids had seen some of the competition and were ready to get into a real game situation to show their abilities.
Game 1 vs PHA Stingrays
There was only one game scheduled for our division Thursday night and we were ready to go. The Stingrays goalie finished 2nd in the Skills Competition on Tuesday so our Muskies knew they would have a tough task ahead of them.
The game started late due to a prior game that went into its 3rd overtime...so just after 7pm the puck dropped and the Liftlock Tournament was officially underway!
With only 25 seconds ticked off the clock; Connor S. fired a shot over the blocker of the Stingrays goalie with the helpers going to Sammy T. and Owen D.
Our Muskies did not look back at any point in this game and they controlled it from the drop of the puck to the sound of the buzzer. The Peterborough team had about 5 good shots on net throughout the game and Wes I. made an fantastic shutout saving save with seconds left to cap off a fantastic win.
When the buzzer sounded to end the game the scoreboard read 8-0 for our Muskies!
Wes I. and Josh O. shared the shutout and both received trophies for their efforts.
Connor S. also had a fantastic game and received a trophy for his hattrick.
Game 2 vs Perth Lanark
Our Muskies second game of the tournament would take place Friday January 13, 2017 at the Peterborough Memorial Centre...the home of the Peterborough Petes!!
The game was also being broadcast on Cogeco Cable..so the Lindsay Teal team would be front and centre for all to see.
The Perth team proved to be very tough and the long week finally caught up to our Muskies.
We did not seem to have the same adrenaline as we did the night before and our Muskies legs did not seem to move as quick as usual and the Perth team was more aggressive on the puck.
The speed of a couple of the Perth players caught our defence and forwards off guard and within 4 minutes the score was 3-0 for the Lanarks.
After this point it seemed that our defence had the Lanarks forwards figured out and they began to limit the scoring chances.
With just 1:14 left in the 2nd period; Tyson N. passed the puck to Owen V. who fired the puck on the net. Josh G. was in front of the net and took the rebound and fired the puck into the empty side to give the Muskies their 1st goal of the game. 3-1
Unfortunately, Perth managed to get the goal back with just seconds left in the period with a melee in front of our net. 4-1 Perth
The 3rd period would be back and forth with the majority of the game being played in the neutral zone and neither team could seem to get a great scoring chance.
Perth would deliver the knock out punch with 5:18 left in the 3rd to give them a 5-1 lead.
Lindsay did not give up though and with 4:02 left in the game...Connor S. passed the puck to Jackson Q. who came down the right side and fired the puck on net. The goalie made a great save but the rebound came right out to Owen D. who fired the puck into the open side. 5-2 Perth.
It was a tough loss for our Muskies who seemed to be out of gas from the busy week.
On the bright side; after they figured out the Lanarks offence...they did manage to keep pace. The 2nd and 3rd periods were a tie as both teams scored two goals apiece.
After the game, the team headed to the Pizza Factory for dinner and to have fun!!
Our Muskies would not have much time to dwell on this loss...they would be back at it Saturday against the Apsley Flames.
Game 3 vs Apsley Flames (The Rematch)
Downtown Douro would host the rematch between the Apsley Flames and the Lindsay Teal Muskies.
The first meeting was the Semi Finals the Silver Stick Tournament in Haliburton, Ontario in early December, 2016. That game would go into OT with Apsley scoring for a 3-2 win!
This game would be a "must win" for Lindsay and Apsley...the team that lost would be going home early.
The rematch would go back and forth with both teams once again having great scoring chances and both defences playing well. Josh O. played the entire game and made some remarkable stops to keep the game close.
The Apsley goalie made some amazing saves and also had some amazing luck on his side to keep our Muskies off the scoresheet.
When the buzzer sounded...Apsley was on top 2-0 for another close, hard fought win over our Muskies.
Lindsay was placed in a tough group...the top 3 teams of the division were all in the same group and only 2 could make it through to the Semi Finals.
They had a great week overall and the coaching staff and parents were all proud of them!
The top 5 in scoring for the Liftlock Tournament
1. Connor S.: 3 Goals 1 Assist 4 Points
2. Jackson Q.: 2 Goals 2 Assists 4 Points
3. Sammy T.: 1 Goal 2 Assists 3 Points
4. Jarrett B.: 2 Goals 1 Assist 3 Points
5. Owen D.: 1 Goal 2 Assists 3 Points