Everything Is Awesome, News, Atom Rep, 2014-2015 (Strathroy Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2014-2015 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Jan 01, 2015 | ccowan | 2234 views
Everything Is Awesome
    Everything is awesome. Everything is cool when you're part of a team.  The Strathroy Atom Rep Jr. Rockets were in Alvinston December 28th-30th, competing in the Atom ‘A’ Regional Silver Stick Tournament.  Moments before heading out to the ice, they rocked out to “Everything Is Awesome” (Tegan and Sara).  The words were echoed with their on-ice play.  They gave everything they had, they stayed positive, they played hard for one another and they had loads of fun. 

   In game 1 of Round Robin play, they were up against a strong London Jr. Mustangs White team.  After losing twice to this team in a tournament one month prior, The Rockets knew it was going to be tough.  The Rockets were more than up for the challenge.  

   Ryan Sanders sparked things for The Rockets when he found the back of the net early in the 1st period.  Logan Hackney drew the assist. 

   Both teams played great defensively and neither could muster a goal until late in the 3rd.  Easton Cowan then found JT Hodgins open on the point.  With plenty of traffic in front, Hodgins one-timed the pass top cheese, leaving the goalie no chance.  That was all The Rockets needed, as they opened the tournament with a 2-0 win.    

   Strong team defense, led by Cameron Urquhart, Hodgins, Noah Kostesku, Noah Williams and Kaleb Boersma, was key to the win. They all did an exceptional job blocking shots, tying guys up in front, defending the rush, hustling, and making smart ‘heads-up’ plays all game.  

   Luke Winegarden was a brick wall between the pipes and earned his first shut-out of the tournament.  Lucas Goulart remained supportive and focused on the bench, providing an excellent insurance policy for the team in case of an injury. 

   Next, The Rockets faced off against St. Marys, who came fast out of the gates, and opened the scoring early in the 1st.  The Rockets were un-phased though, and continued to play their game.  Cameron Mackey netted the first two Rockets’ goals, with Cowan drawing an assist on each, and they carried a 2-1 lead into the 2nd. 

   Griffin Cann and Isaac Mckeown added goals in the 2nd while Sanders picked up an assist.  Sanders topped things off with a goal in the 3rd to seal the 5-1 victory. 

   In their final Round Robin game, The Rockets were up against West London, who were high in spirits, fresh off eliminating The Jr. Mustangs White from the tournament. 

   The Rockets came out strong, crashing the net of the 'hot' West London goaltender and managed to squeak 2 goals past him early.  Williams got the first one with a point shot off the post and in.  Cowan drew the assist while Cann and Mckeown set up the screen. Sanders potted the 2nd one as Cann and Mckeown picked up assists.

   Late in the 1st, coming off the bench from a line change, Cann received a sweet 2-line pass at the blue line, from Cowan.  Cann took the pass at full speed for a breakaway and then made no mistake with a beauty deke to give his team a 3-0 lead.  On the same day of his Great Grandpa's Celebration of Life, Cann seemed to be playing with wings on his back and he was awarded the Game MVP. 

   The Rockets’ exceptional team defense was on display again, as they shut the door the rest of the way.  Evan Townsend and Mark Hewitt led the way with their tremendous back checking efforts.  Winegarden earned his 2nd shut-out of the tournament and the Rockets finished with a 3-0 victory.  

   The Rockets completed the Round Robin with a 3-0 record, which placed them 1st in their pool. This teed up a Semi Final Match against New Hamburg, the #2 ranked team in the other pool. 

   In this 'must-win' game, the added pressure didn’t bother the Rockets. New Hamburg scored first, but The Rockets answered right back with a wrap around goal from Sanders, assisted by Teaghan Kinchen.  New Hamburg scored again before the period ended and took a 2-1 lead into the 2nd. 

   The Rockets remained positive, and continued skating and working hard. Just a few minutes into the 2nd, Cowan tied it at 2 a piece with another wrap around. 3 minutes later Cowan, scored again.  This one resulted from exceptional effort as he out-skated their defenseman to a puck, creating a semi breakaway.  He then managed to backhand the puck across the line as he fell to the ice. Hackney set it up by clearing the puck out of the defensive zone. 

   Heading into the 3rd with a 3-2 lead, the boys knew they just had to shut things down to get the win. They did just that once again with great team defense.  Hewitt added an insurance marker late in the 3rd with a power play goal, as he banged home a rebound on a shot from Williams.  The Rockets held on to the 4-2 victory and earned themselves a place in the Silver Stick Finals. 

   In the Finals, the Rockets faced the Essex Ravens, who many referred to as 'the team to beat' at the tournament. 

   The Rockets came out loose and full of confidence and Mckeown opened the scoring 39 seconds in with Cowan tallying the assist.  The Ravens fought back with a relentless attack but the Rockets managed to fend them off and came out of the 1st period with a 1-0 lead. 

   Just 15 seconds into the 2nd, The Ravens push-back paid off as they tied it at 1 a piece.  It wasn’t long after, Cowan answered and the Rockets regained the 1 goal lead.  Urquhart tallied an assist.  However, the Ravens kept coming and tied it up at 2, just one minute later.  That's how the 2nd period ended. 

   Early in the 3rd, Essex scored to take their first lead of the game, 3-2.  The Rockets found themselves behind, but once again they overcame adversity.  The next shift, Cowan notched his 2nd of the game and Hewitt drew the assist.  The teams found themselves gridlocked again, now at 3-3. 

   Both teams kept pushing hard and with 8:20 left to play, Mckeown buried his 2nd of the game to make it 4-3.  Sanders and Cann picked up assists. 

   
   The Rockets defended the lead like pros and with 4:05 left in the game, Hackney netted an insurance marker, assisted by Cowan and Mackey, to make it 5-3.  

   As the time clock clicked ever so slowly down to 0:10, Coach Gef looked at Coach Chris on the bench and said, "They did it."  Looking down the bench and seeing the excitement and smiles on the kids’ faces, knowing that all their hard work as a team was about to pay off, was a moment to remember.

   The character and class these boys displayed all tournament long was truly amazing.  Always respecting opponents and officials, always staying positive, playing with discipline, picking each other up, and only ever focused on the things they could control.  The boys went about their business the right way and the winning took care of itself.  Silver Stick Regional Champions.  Everything is awesome.  Everything is cool when you’re part of a team.  All 16 boys were a huge part of this team, and this Championship, and… everything… was… awesome.  

   The Rockets will travel to Sarnia to compete at International Silver Stick on Jan 16th. Check the website http://sdmha.org/Teams/1419/Schedule/ for schedule updates.

   The Strathroy Atom Rep Jr. Rockets would like to thank their sponsor, Caradoc Sands Golf Club. 

 

 

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