Mar 18, 2018 | tcogghe | 830 views
AARKEL BANTAMS TAKE GAME 1 OF FINALS
On Sunday night the Bantam Tri-County Championships started between the Aarkel Bantam Wallaceburg Lakers and the Mooretown Jr. Flags. Game 1 of this best of 3 series was held right here in the Burg in front of a great crowd. The last 4 meetings between these teams ended in a tie so it was sure to be a good one.
In the 1st period both teams came out wanting it and traded chances. It wasn't until halfway through the period that defenseman Holden MacDonald opened the scoring on an unassisted goal which saw him go end-to-end; it was his first of the season in league play! Meanwhile his brother "Macky" held the fort between the pipes to keep it a 1-0 score at the buzzer.
The 2nd period started much the same way with both teams battling hard. This time approximately 5 mins in Mooretown managed to tie things up with a goal of their own. This would be until about another 5 minutes after when Josh Snelgrove game Wallaceburg the lead once again after going in on a 2-on-1 and receiving a great pass from Quinlan Fields. After his first shot was saved by the Flags goalie, Josh managed to get his own rebound and put it past him; also assisting on the goal was Ethan Burfield. With just over a minute to go in the frame Wallaceburg found themselves in some penalty trouble and with only 3 seconds on the clock Mooretown found the back of the net, once again tying things up.
In the 3rd the pressure was on for both teams to end this in regulation but it wasn't in the cards, as so many times before the period ended in a tie. After a exciting 5 on 5 sudden victory overtime with both teams creating chances the game still was tied. This meant things had to be settled in a shootout! Rules state 3 shooters are to be selected and only these 3 players are the shooters as long as it takes, chosen for Wallaceburg were Jackson Oliver, Josh Snelgrove and Holden MacDonald. Mooretown shot first and with everyone on their feet the Burg barn was a buzz! Both goalies were perfect through 6 rounds. After a stellar performance by Lakers net-minder, "Macky" shut the door one more time in the 7th round leaving an opportunity for Jackson Oliver to finish things off on his 3rd opportunity and he did just that!
So the Wallaceburg Lakers took game 1 and look to close things out Saturday March 24th @ 2:30pm in Mooretown. The coaches were proud of the boys discipline play and hard work! The team would like to thank all of the family, friends and fans who came out to cheer us on - WE HOPE YOU CAN JOIN US SATURDAY IN MOORETOWN AND BRING SOME OF THAT ENERGY WITH YOU!