The MBRP Major Midget Otters faced off against the Prince Edward County Kings in the third game of the OMHA semi-finals on March 3. The Don Lough arena hosted a supportive crowd for both teams as they fought for the win.
In the first period, the Otters were focused and kept control of the puck, making passes around the Kings. At 11:48, #10 Ethan Murdy took the assist from defenseman #19 Adam Long to put the first goal on the board for the Otters.
The Kings were responsive and held the puck, attempting shots on Otter goalie #1 Scott Perry but he wasn’t letting anything in. The Huntsville team held their opponents off for almost the entire period until 1:19 when the Kings tied up the game.
The team huddle between periods must have been positive and encouraging as the Otters didn’t allow the tie to rattle them. They kept the puck in the Kings end with only shots on net until Colin Jones #18 set up a perfect pass and Aben dumped the puck in net at 11:13.
The Otters took the lead and added goal after goal with the crowd going wild every time a Huntsville player skated the puck up past the center line to shoot to score. Ethan Murdy #10 scored at 8:41, assists made by #16 Connor White and #8 Nick Lavigne. With five minutes left, #16 Connor White performed a slap shot with perfection, hitting the back of the net from the right corner, assisted by #6 Chris Aben. Garrett Ralph followed the same path up the ice to corner right and took the shot with the puck flying straight into the back of the net once again, assisted by #10 Ethan Murdy and #9 Dylan Welsh, to bring the score to 5-1.
The MBRP Major Miget Otters dominated the semi-final series against the Prince Edward County Kings
The Kings called a timeout to regroup but that didn’t faze the Otters – the team held off the Kings until the last minute of play. With ten seconds left in the second period, assistant captain Jacob Schnurr #12 bumped the Otters lead to five goals. The team was pumped as they came off the ice. The crowd cheered them off and shouted congrats for such an entertaining game.
The Otters received a penalty at the buzzer to end the second period, handing the Kings a power play to start the third. This allowed the Kings to push through the Otters’ defense and log their second goal. The Kings kept up their fight for the win – they were able to keep the puck in the Otters end and were making some bad hits on the home team. One of the Kings attempted to fight Otters defenseman #2 Wyatt Boothby until the team came to help break it up.
Both teams played with heart for the rest of the period. Assistant Captain Dylan Welsh #9 took another sweet shot on net with an assist by Ethan Murdy #10 to bring the final score to 7-2. The crowd was cheering as the Otters lifted their sticks to them for supporting their journey. Now they’re off to the OMHA finals to vie for the gold!
The MBRP Major Miget Otters raise their sticks to their supportive fans
The MBRP Major Midget Otters will meet the Niagara-on-the-Lake Wolves in the finals from March 10 through March 28. Schedule to be announced. (UPDATE March 7: see the series schedule below.) The Otters appreciate all of the support and encouragement from the community and thank everyone for coming to cheer them straight into the finals!
The Otters invited spectators to bring a non-perishable food item to support their local food bank. Huntsville came through with a wonderful donation of food items weighing in at 195 pounds and a cash donation of $144.
The Otters face off against the Wolves in the finals on these dates:
March 11, 7:00 p.m., home at Don Lough Arena
March 12, 1:00 p.m., home at Don Lough Arena
March 18, 6:00 p.m., away at Meridian
March 19, 3:00 p.m., away at Meridian
March 25, 7:00 p.m., home at Don Lough Arena
March 26, 6:00 p.m., away at Meridian
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free, twice-weekly newsletter here.
0 Comments