Minor Atoms Have Strong Defensive Weekend, News, Minor Atom, 2006-07 (Huron Perth Lakers)

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Jan 15, 2007 | cmetzger | 937 views
Minor Atoms Have Strong Defensive Weekend
After a 10 day lay-off with no games the Huron-Perth Minor Atoms had a 1-1 tie with Hamilton on Saturday in Hamilton and defeated Waterloo 3-0 Sunday at home in Clinton.

Hamilton jump out to an early 1-0 lead where they converted a 2 on 1 into a goal. In the last minute of the first period, Kiernyn Campbell in deep along the boards in the Hamilton end fed Dylan Nafziger with a pass at the blue line who dumped the puck back in deep behind the Hamilton net, where Evan Chaffe gained control of the puck, than made a tape to tape pass to Kenny Huether in front of the Hamilton goalie. Huether then beat the goalie cleanly with a quick wrist shot to tie the game 1-1. The Lakers out played Hamilton the rest of the game, but couldn’t convert any of their scoring chances into goals. With the Lakers killing off a too many men on the ice penalty in the last minute of the game Riley O’Keefe made a great save with 20 seconds remaining on the clock, then Eric MacPhee cleared the rebound to preserve the tie.

On Sunday in Clinton the Minor Atom Lakers came out skating and forchecking hard against Waterloo. Defensemen Dylan Nafziger and Haydn Favacho had some big hits early in the game against the Waterloo forwards preventing them from getting any offence generated in the first period. Midway through the first period with the puck in the Lakers end Evan Chaffe blocked a Waterloo shot from the blue line with the puck deflecting into the neutral zone when Drew McKee picking up the puck and broke in on a break-away beating the Waterloo goalie with a hard wrist shot for his first goal as a Laker. The Lakers second goal came late in the first period when Lucas Spence pinched in with the puck from the blue line getting a shot on net, with Cullen Mercer getting the rebound, and was stopped by the Waterloo goalie. Finally Mykal Hodges found an opening and shot the puck in the net for a 2-0 lead. In the second period Lucas Spence took a hard hit along the boards while trying to clear the puck out of the Lakers end, Brandan Willis supported him, grabbing the lose puck and made a bank pass off the boards to beat the Waterloo defenseman sending Cullen Mercer on a 1 on 1 against the other defenseman and using him a screen, shot a low shot along the ice to score putting the Lakers up 3-0. The game continued to be very physical through the third period with the Lakers playing a great defensive game. Ben Larder made some key save to earn the shut-out.

Minor Atoms next game is Wednesday January 17th @ 7:00 pm in Kitchener, who are in third place in the East Division 3 points behind the Lakers.

Submitted by Jack Chaffe 1/15/2007