The Gary Edgecombe CA PeeWee Rep
Coyotes have had their best two weeks of the season. They extended
their winning streak to five games, surprised Oro 4-1 in game one of
the OMHA quarter finals, and beat Dundalk in their first Georgian Bay
playoff game.
On Saturday, February 2, The Coyotes began their OMHA quarter finals in Oro. With a new found confidence, the team out-raced, out-hit, and out-shot the Oro Thunder. Solid defense and goal tending, along with goals from two different lines left Oro flat footed. Special mention goes to the dynamic duo of Derek O'Neill and Xander Baatje. O'Neill showed no fear in the opponent's crease, shovelling in two goals. Baatje had several breakaways, turned the Oro defense inside out, and picked up an assist.
Unfortunately, game one of the Georgian Bay playoffs cost the team their Captain, Matt Clarke. Late in a game that was already decided with the Coyotes leading 4-0, an unhappy Dundalk centre faced off against all three Coyote centres. In each face-off, he ignore the dropped puck and threw his weight onto the Elmvale centre, folding him backwards on top of his legs. Luckily, Clarke was the only one injured, but not one the three offences was penalized. AP William McDowell, the team's faithful back-up goaltender, earned the 6-0 shut-out.
Another Dundalk forward was suspended for a severe hit from behind on Jeremy Robertson. The player's father fumed, cursed, and insulted the referee from the player's door. The father was quickly ejected. Since he had been standing near me on the west side of the rink, the best place from which to shoot photos and an area closed to the general public, the referee had no choice but to evict me as well, for fear of looking like he favoured the local folk. I took it in stride and continued shooting from the east side, but am officially requesting a press pass from the Springwater News management.
Game two of the OMHA quarter finals with Oro was cancelled Friday, February 8 due to weather. It has been rescheduled later, but that meant the team would play a second away game first, on Sunday, February 10. Without Captain Clarke in the line-up, AP Carson Currie was called on to fill the gap. The Coyotes scored early in the first, but Oro responded and the period ended in their favour, 2-1. Period two was punctuated with penalties, parents shouting over the glass, and five more goals. It was clear, as the Coyotes trailed 5-3 in the beginning of the third, that the Oro Thunder was not interested in losing another game at home. The reign of penalties continued and the Coyotes had a prolonged two-man advantage. With four minutes remaining, Coach Bouzis pulled the goalie and made it a three-man advantage. One goal was scored on the power play, but it was not enough. The Coyotes lost game two 6-4.
The Coyotes host Creemore on Tuesday, February 12, at 8pm; Oro for game three on Friday, February 15, at 8:10pm; and Oro again for game four on Tuesday, February 19, at 8pm. Come on out and catch some exciting playoff hockey.