Minor Otters teams seek the Silver Stick

The Silver Stick Regional Tournament hosted three of our Otters teams on November 25-27 in Collingwood. The Huntsville Otters Atom AE, Pee Wee AE, and Midget AE teams played with heart wanting to win and move on to the International Silver Stick Championships.

The Silver Stick motto promotes citizenship and international goodwill through Silver Stick hockey. There are teams from across North America that compete among each other for the sterling silver championship pin.

Pee Wee AE

The Pee Wee AE played their first game against St. Mary’s Rock and managed to score two goals on net. St. Mary’s returned their two goals along with two more for the win 4-2. The Otters got the feel for the level of hockey and were pumped for game two against Collingwood AE4 Black Hawks. They played with high spirits but the Black Hawks kept the puck out of net and took the win 3-0. The final game saw the Otters versus the Penetang Flames. They were able to shoot three goals in past the Flames goalie. In the end, the Otters lost to the Flames 3-6. The team ended their weekend with their heads held high and knowing that this Silver Stick helped them develop their skills as a whole team.

Atom AE

The Atom AE team’s first game was against the Erin-Hillsburgh Devils. The team worked together, but they could not get the puck past the Devils defense and lost 0-8. Game two had the Otters meet the Kincardine Kinucks; they were able to score a goal but lost 1-5 in the end. The Otters final game of the weekend had them facing St. Mary’s Rock and again scored one goal but the Rock won 1-6. The Silver Stick likes to see determination and dedication which this team presented at all times over the weekend, win or lose.

Midget AE

The Midget AE Otters met the Penetang Flames for game one. The first period the team was warming up feeling their skates under their feet as they controlled the puck for most of the time. With only seven seconds left #15 Will Neudorf led the puck up the ice and straight into the net. Period two reflected the first but the Flames were revving up to play and received penalties instead. The Otters waited until the last two minutes to score once again. The Flames wanted to score and pushed the puck hard and managed to get a score on our Otter net at the beginning of the third. Keeping the Otters attention to defense, the team managed to stop any pucks entering their crease even when Penetang pulled their goalie with forty seconds left. The Otters won their first game of the weekend 2-1.

Game two started out with the crowd and the Dorchester Dragons booing as the Otters entered the rink but the Otters family fans drowned them out with their cheers and cowbells. The Dragons took the first goal of the game. Otters #4 Nick Coleman tied it up with a goal at the beginning of the second and another Otters repeat with a goal at the four second mark leading by one goal. Entering the third, the Dragons laid hard hits that injured both an Otter and a Dragon. Otters took ownership of the puck and #11 Denver Parliament scored in the first five minutes. The final goal for the Otters was a gift from the Dragons as they shot the puck up the ice straight off the boards directly to #15 Will Neudorf’s stick and then in net for a win 4-1.

The Midget AE Otters face off against the Dorchester Dragons

Game three was on Saturday against the St. Mary’s Rock. The Otters were on a winning streak and felt they could pull out another win to lead them into the semi-finals. The first and second periods were fast, with a goal taken by the Otters #11 Denver Parliament, yet again, at the six second mark. Otters #15 Will Neudorf came through scoring another goal and then #6 Braydon Morgan ended the game with a third and final goal. Goalie #20 Josh Lawson was congratulated for having a shut out game.

Heading into the semi-finals, the Otters were pumped and ready to head off against the Ennismore Eagles. It was an interesting game as the Otters attempted their plays that usually landed a score on net but the Eagles were always one step ahead. The first and second periods kept the score board 0-0. As the teams strategized before the third period, the Eagles managed to out skate the Otter defense and take a shot on net to score. The third period had the stands cheering with encouragement as the Otters made several attempts to score and even pulled their goalie to reenact the last 10 second score on net but in the end, the Eagles would not let them near their net and stole the win 1-0. It was a hard loss as the team was on a winning streak. It was difficult for some team members as it was their final shot at going for the Silver Streak pin since it was their final year in minor hockey. What exemplar sportsmanship shown over the weekend by all!

The Midget AE Otters fell to the Ennismore Eagles in a hard-fought battle

Pee Wee Rep

The Pee Wee Rep team travelled to Sudbury and won in the finals to move on to the International Silver Stick Championships. Watch for an upcoming story on Doppler.

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