Jan 21, 2007 | Shaun Peet | 821 views
Minor Midgets Finish Regular Season Strong
Despite being locked in sixth place in the division for the past couple weeks, the boys were able to find enough motivation to put together a great effort over the last two games. Both games were played against Kitchener, who had handed the Lakers an 8-1 loss earlier in the year.
On Tuesday the Jr. Rangers visited the home team in Brussels where the boys were able to successfully implement a different style of forecheck. The end result was a 4-1 win; the fourth of the year for the team. Ten different Lakers figured in on the offensive attack, led by Craig Dalrymple (1G, 1A) and Chett Binning (2A). Other scorers were Mark Verkley, Blair McConnell, and Joel Alton, while other assists went to Tyler Kuntz, Tyson Avery, Brock Spencer, Dean Reynolds, and Nick Carter. Ian Scrimgeour played solid in goal and picked up his first win of the season, stopping 25 of 26 shots.
On Saturday the same two teams met in Stratford for a game in the new Stratford Recreation Complex. While the arena's amenities are still far from completed, the ice surface is in good shape and provided for a fast, entertaining hockey game. The boys continued to practice different offensive and defensive systems throughout the game, and were rewarded with a 3-1 win. Brock Spencer assisted on all three goals, with Chett Binning finding the back of the net once and Mark Verkley working hard in front of the net for two of his own. Craig Dalrymple also had an assist in the game. Braden VanNynatten played well in goal stopping 22 of 23 shots, and was credited with his fourth win of the season.
The two consecutive wins mark the first time this season where the team has put together back-to-back wins and should provide a boost of positive energy into the first round of the playoffs, where the team will face the East Division (and Overall) Champions, Waterloo. The four game regular season series went 4-0 in favour of the Wolves, including two blowout games on the road. The two home games, however, were a much different story with the Lakers proving that they can compete with Waterloo when they play solid, disciplined hockey. The only ingredient missing so far preventing the team from coming out on top has been scoring, with the team managing to score only 5 times in the 4 games played throughout the year.
Game 1 of the series will be played in Waterloo on January 27, with game 2 coming back to the Goderich MRC on Sunday, January 28.