Markham Majors Fall Classic
Markham, Ontario
October 9th - 11th, 2009
Oct. 9: vs. Markham Waxers
On a dreary, rainy, Friday afternoon the Lakers opened their participation in the tournament with a game against the highly-touted Markham Waxers. The first period saw some spirited play by both teams in the early going with the Majors celebrating a goal just under two minutes in. However, after a conference by the on-ice officials, the goal was waved off as it was determined that the Majors' player had kicked the puck into the net. Shortly thereafter, the Lakers got into penalty trouble and gave the Majors 1 minute and 48 seconds 5 on 3 advantage. The Lakers PK units were up to the task and held off the Majors. The Majors carried a decided advantage in the play through the first period and although they outshot the Lakers 14-7, the Lakers defensive play rose to the challenge and the period ended 0-0.
The second period was the Waxers turn to get into penalty trouble when about five minutes in they took a couple penalties to give the Lakers a couple power plays, including a 38 second 5 on 3. The Lakers were unable to cash in, however. With the game half over the teams were still both scoreless. Then, with just under 5 minutes to go in the period, the Waxers broke the deadlock and took a one goal lead which they held through the remainder of the period.
The third period saw both these teams continue to battle. The Lakers killed off a penalty in the early going and then the play was fairly even throughout the majority of the period. Penalties would be the Lakers undoing, however, as the Majors were given their second 5 on 3 opportunity with just under 6 minutes to go. The Lakers valiantly tried to hold off the Majors and did so for almost a full minute and a half before surrendering a goal to the Majors to fall behind 2-0. In the final minute of the game, the Lakers pulled their goalie,
Joe Metzger, to try to close the gap but unfortunately gave up an empty net goal to lose the game 3-0.
The Lakers MVP for this game was Metzger for his play in net as the Majors outshot the Lakers 31-26 with many excellent scoring chances.
Oct. 9: vs. Central Ontario Wolves
Next up for the Lakers was a late evening game against the Central Ontario Wolves. It turned out to be a very late game as the 9:35 pm start time was pushed back to after 10:30 pm as the tournament was running behind. The Lakers fell behind early in this game as the Wolves scored in the first couple of minutes. The Lakers were able to tie up the game a couple minutes later with a power play goal when, after
Riley McCabe passed the puck across to
Brett Stacey on the point, Stacey blasted a shot through traffic and beat the Wolves' goalie on the short side (see video below).
With 4 minutes to go the Lakers took a 2-1 lead when Devin Williams shovelled home the rebound after Greg Williams had walked out from the corner and fired a shot on net from the face-off dot (see video below).
The Wolves evened things up with two minutes to go and the first period ended tied 2-2.
The second period saw the Wolves re-establish their lead at 3-2 with a goal midway through the period. By the end of the period shots were equal at 18 apiece as play see-sawed between these two teams.
The third period saw the Wolves widen their lead to 4-2 five minutes in before the Lakers responded at the midway point with a goal of their own (see video below). This goal came when a centring attempt by Nick Castell from behind the icing line deflected off the Wolves' goalie's stick and into the net (assist to PJ Conlon).
This would be as close as the Lakers would be able to come before time ran out with the final score, Wolves: 4, Lakers: 3.
Lakers MVP for the game was
Mac MacSorley.
With a 4 game round robin used to determine the top 4 teams advancing to Sunday, the Lakers had dug themselves a large hole on the first day and could only hope that Saturday would bring better results. After the first day the Lakers sat in 11th place out of the 12 teams.
Oct. 10: vs. Ajax-Pickering Raiders
Day 2 saw the Lakers wake up to a bright, sunny, beautiful, fall day with all thoughts of yesterday's defeats behind them. It was a pumped up team that took to the ice in the early afternoon to face the Ajax-Pickering Raiders. The Lakers got onto the scoreboard early when Michael Siddall, bursting in on a 2 on 1 with Riley McCabe, slid a pass across to McCabe who beat the goalie glove-side (see video below). The other assist went to Iain Donnelly.
Play went end to end throughout the remainder of the period and although the Raiders had the edge in shots (8-6) it was the Lakers who maintained the 1-0 lead.
The second period saw the close play between these two teams continue through the first half. With 5 and half minutes to go in the period the Raiders would get on the scoreboard to tie things at 1-1. A minute and half later they scored again to go up 2-1 on the Lakers. As time was winding down in the period the Lakers pressed on to get the equalizer before the flood. With just 12 seconds left in the frame, Mackinley O'Keefe rifled a shot along the ice from the point that careened off a Raiders' stick and into the net to knot the game at 2's, assists to PJ Conlon and Jayden Landry (see video below).
It would come down to the third period to decide the outcome of this game. The teams were evenly matched but it would be penalties that would tip the balance in the Lakers' favour. With 12 minutes remaining the Lakers went on the power play and were quickly rewarded when Donnelly fed the puck to
Mac MacSorley at the half boards who slid the puck across to Siddall in the face-off circle to the goalie's right. Siddall wheeled and blasted the puck past the goalie to give the Lakers a 3-2 lead (see video below).
With just over three minutes to go, the Lakers' fourth power play of the game would see them net an insurance goal. This goal would come courtesy of Brett Stacey whose slapshot from the point along the ice would zip through traffic into the back of the net, assists to Conlon and Landry (see video below).
Ahead 4-2 and just a few minutes to go, the Lakers would "open the flood gates." With a minute and a half to go, MacSorley intercepted a Raiders' clearing attempt at their blueline, carried the puck in and using the Raiders' defenceman as a screen, fired the puck into the top corner (see video below).
Less than thirty seconds later, Braydon Blight fired a laser beam slapshot that went off both Raiders' goal posts to put the Lakers up 6-2 (see video below).
The Raiders would get a goal with a few seconds to go in the game but it wouldn't be enough as the Lakers won 6-3. Lakers MVP for the game was O'Keefe.
Oct. 10: vs. West Seneca Wings
The Lakers second game of the day was an evening game against the West Seneca Wings. The Lakers had faced the Wings several times over the years going back to Minor Atom and were eager to see how they stacked up against this year's version of the team.
The Lakers opened the scoring 6 minutes into the first period when Mac MacSorley sent a pass out front to Braydon Blight who was poised just off the blue ice. Blight snapped home the puck into the open side of the net to get the Lakers on the scoreboard, assist to Iain Donnelly (see video below).
The Lakers followed up this first goal with a second goal just 30 seconds later when Greg Williams moved the puck out of the Lakers' zone and ahead to Nick Castell. Castell beat the defender and moved the puck across to Blight to set up the 2 on 1. Blight then made no mistake in wiring home his second goal of the game.
Ahead 2-0 the Lakers then had to kill off a penalty which took out a little steam from their attack. The PK unit was solid, however, and the Lakers finished the first period with a 2-0 lead and having outshot their opponents 9 to 7.
That would be as close as the shot count would get between these two teams as the Lakers peppered the Wings' goalie with shots in the second period. Although the period was scoreless, it was only through the excellent play of the Wings' goalie that the Lakers didn't add to their goal total as the Lakers outshot the Wings by an incredible 16 to 3 in the period.
The Lakers continued their strong play into the third period and were rewarded with two quick goals in the first two minutes. The first goal of the period came on the power play thanks to the hard work of
Jayden Landry behind the net as he muscled the puck in, assists to
PJ Conlon and
Mackinley O'Keefe (see video below).
The second goal of the period to put the Lakers up 4-0 came when Blight passed out to G. Williams at the hash marks who put the puck far corner, just inside the post for the goal (see video below).
At this point the game settled down with neither team pushing very hard as they both seemed content to run down the clock. However, with 5 and half minutes to go, Blight would get his hat trick when, after G. Williams passed to Castell behind the Wings' net and Castell kicked the puck out front, Blight would score from the same place he scored his first goal - from directly in front of the net (see video below).
Blight's goals were the perfect bookends to a Lakers' 5-0 victory. As the game ended the Lakers had outshot the Wings 37 to 14 with Joe Metzger picking up the shut-out.
Lakers MVP for the game was no surprise as Blight picked up the honours with his hat trick.
At the end of the second day the Lakers had managed to leap from 11th position to 5th in the round robin portion of the tournament. However, with just the top four teams advancing they found themselves just missing the chance to move on to the semi-finals. Nevertheless, the ability of the team to bounce back after Friday's losses with two solid wins on Saturday was great to see.
