Tournament Website
Saturday Update
Although the Chiefs played pretty inspired hockey yesterday to hang with the two Toronto teams (Marlies and Titans) they were still outshot by a significant margin and, also, lost both. This effectively meant there was no chance to be playing SUnday and all that was left was to try to build on the areas we need to improve. We start this today, bright and early, against the Ajax-Pickering Raiders.
The start was not great as the CHiefs got pinned in their end for the first few minutes but having survived that mess, the boys got their skating legs and things got better. The basic problem with this game, and it started early, was too many trips to the penalty box. It felt as though we were short handed for 1bout 1/3 of this game. When we were 5-on-5, we were right there with them. Unfortunatel, we were not 5-on-5 often enough. It wasn't as bad as I make it sound, though as we were tied 2-2 with Ajax into the third. The Raiders scored a PP goal midway through the period to take a 3-2 lead and the later scored an empty-netter to take the victory 4-2. We continue to see encouraging signs and look forward to game 4. Donovan C. played a complete steady game on defense and was awarded the MVP T-shirt for his efforts. Congratulations Donovan.
Game 4 later in the afternoon was against the Niagara North Stars. They, too, are winless although they have played 3 tight games against the same opposition we have faced. This should be a good tilt. I'll once again state that this column is my opinion of the game, so you may not get the same review from others in attendance. We were leading 2-0 half way through the first, but it was a bit of a mirage. Niagara had numerous chances. Some thwarted by superb goaltending, others went by the wayside as the shooters would miss their target, but by no means did we probably deserve the lead. Nonetheless, we had the lead. Niagara scored 1, finally able to slip one past our goalie, but the Chiefs rebounded with a quick one of their own to restore the 2-goal lead. It was a tenuous lead, however as the Stars continued to forces turnovers and generate scoring opportunites. The Stars scored a second time and the lead was back to 1. A miscue at the Star blueline led to a breakaway tieing goal and we were even with lots of game to go.
Despite the fact that I think this may have been our worst game as a team, we did show resiliency as the third Star goal could have signalled a collapse. Far from it as the Chiefs quickly restored the 2 goal lead and the Stars became unglued as they started to take a number of unnecessary penalties out of frustration. The 2 goal lead was not enough so we decided to score a couple more and end up witha 7-3 victory. Sometimes you win when you don't necessarily deserve it, and sometimes to play great, take a loss and leave the rink thinking you deserved better. Today I think we were somewhat fortunate to get the win, but congretulations to the boys for battling.
Our goaltending was superb all weekend - both Ashton and Carter deserve credit as they faced a lot of rubber. In this game Carter was particularly outstanding. The four teams we played all have excellent speed up front and this put a lot of pressure on our young defense, but they held their own. Mistakes were made, lessons learned, and we move on.
I cannot recall all the goalscorers so no names mentioned today (sorry :( ) but congratulations to Matthew P. for the MVP award for game 4.
Friday Update
The Chiefs had a tough schedule to start the tournament having to play 2 of the higher-ranked Toronto teams.
Game #1 saw the Chiefs take on the Toronto Titans. The final score of this game was 4-0. The Chiefs started out tentatively and the Titans, who had lost their first game yesterday to the Marlboros, came out quickly scoring just minutes into the contest. The first period was dominated by Toronto as the Chiefs could not find their "mojo". A second power play goal by Toronto gave them a 2-0 lead after 1. The shots heavily favoured Toronto and only a few stellar saves by Ashton kept this one from being out of reach early. The Chiefs had a few chances, but did not have any consistent pressure on the Titan defense.
The second period saw the Chiefs come to life somewhat and although the Titans scored again just as a Chief penalty expired, it was a much better period for the boys.
In the third, the Chiefs continued their improved play although scoring chances were few and far between. The will was definitely there and the boys worked hard to the very end.
The Titans have a couple of very solid defensemen that can dominate play. They also deployed a trap system early in the second and the Chief squad will eventually learn how to break it. For now, we leave with a 4-0 defeat and look forward to the second game against the Toronto Marlboros.
The Toronto Marlboros are one of the favorites to win this tournament so we all went in wondering what to expect. They also easily beat the Titans by a score of 6-0 on Friday.
Continuing with their solid play the Chiefs tied the first period 1-1 and were, I think, fairly equal to the highly rated Marlies. A nice rebound goal by Max G. evened the score after the Marlies scored early in the first. As the game wore on, you could see the Marlies attempt to dominate. The Marlies scored 2 back-2-back goals early in the second and you had to wonder if this was the opening of the floodgates. The Chiefs were not about to let that happen, however, and continued to battle. It didn't hurt that Carter P. played LARGE in the Chief net. The second period ended 3-1 and although the Marlies had moments when they controlled play for extended periods in the Chief end, they were only able to put 1 more past Carter and the game ended 4-1 Toronto.
All the boys should be proud of their efforts. Although we make the 45 minute (13km) trip back to the hotel with an 0-2 record they showed signs of their potential. And there is some definite potential for this group to become a very strong 99 team.
Both goaltenders played superb today and they were each rewarded with Player-of-the-game tee-shirts. Congratulations Ashton and Carter - well deserved (Sleep well!!!)
Tomorrow should be slightly "easier" but it's all relative. Ajax-Pickering and North Niagara await and they will both be hungry for wins.
Location
All games will be played at Chesswood Arena complex
Chesswood Arenas
4000 Chesswood Dr.
North York, ON M3J2B9
416-630-8114
http://www.arenamaps.com/arenas/183.htm#top