An
exhilarating first game between 2 home teams proved to be the perfect
kickoff to the 2017-2018 season playoffs in Lindsay on Monday Feb.25th
at 7:30pm. The Atom White team emerged victorious with a 6-2 win for their
initial game of a 6 game series!
The 1st period had fans on the edge of their seats, wondering who would get that first goal of the game. It was back and forth gameplay as White looked for a lane but were consistently shut down by Teal’s defenses. Teal then sent the puck deep into White’s zone, but it was picked up by Nathan Wooldridge #15 and carried back out. After what seemed like forever without a whistle, the tension finally broke when Keira Watson #11 scored the first goal for the Muskies White team!
In the 2nd period Teal’s Keegan Dunn #29 stood on his head to stop a barrage of shots, and White’s Alexis Kostashuk #1 made some crowd-favourite saves that sent the puck flying high into the air. White’s defenceman Ethan Peterson #14 hammered shots from the blue line hoping to connect, but it wasn’t until he maneuvered in closer that he made that connection and scored the 2nd goal for his team. Teal then went to work and sent out Raina Wilson #15 who quickly returned White’s goal by scoring one of her own, and the first for her team. White felt the pressure as the puck skittered past their net and Teal battled hard for the rebound. Alexis Kostashuk #1 thought she had it as Teal’s Connor Swann #17 chipped it in at the whistle and the call was made as another goal for Teal, tying things up, 2-2. It was anyone’s game at that point and the White team needed to regain their lead. Defenceman Sean Hayman #17 fired the puck up the boards and out of our zone where Tristan Shiers #10 picked it up and passed to Nathan Sanderson #29 who carried it through, sending it home. Keira Watson #11 cushioned that lead with another goal right after. Tensions ran high as the clock wound down and Teal’s Issac Stuckey #6 found himself in the hot seat on a tripping call giving White a power play that carried over into the 3rd.
The Teal team successfully killed the penalty and worked hard to stop White from breaking into their zone. Forward Ethan Thompson #6 played both offensively and defensively, skating end to end and taking his opponents to battle the puck at the boards, as Teal made multiple attempts to narrow the score. Olivia Berthelot #10 made a dashing run for it on the breakaway, but White’s Ethan Peterson #14 was faster as he raced back in a blink and shut her down just short of his goaltender. Next, it was Nathan Sanderson #29 who broke through with an unstoppable momentum and he shot the puck hard into the back of the Teal net. With a little under 3 minutes to go in the game, he sunk another one. Time was winding down and the Teal team fought hard in the neutral zone, trying to move the puck up and hopefully create a last minute scoring chance, but White’s Madison Raymond #16 held the blue line and cleared their attempts, driving the puck back towards her teammates. Frustrations mounted when Jaxson Leith #5 and Drake Robinson-West #9 setup for another shot in the Teal zone and Nolan Hildenbrandt #16 skated off to the box, giving White their 2nd power play opportunity of the game. Teal killed off that penalty too but time had run out as they gained even strength and the Atom White team brought in their first win of the series!