The Elmvale Bantam Rep team, sponsored
by Hapamp, has had two good weeks. They played five games, winning
three, tying one, and losing one.
On Tuesday, November 4, the Bantam
Coyotes hosted the Wasaga Stars for their second meeting. The
Coyotes got into penalty trouble early, but successfully fought off a
5 on 3, ending the first period 0-0. In the second, the Stars
started taking penalties, allowing the Coyotes to score twice. The
third period saw the Coyotes take control, scoring five unanswered
goals, resulting in a confidence boosting 7-0 win.
The Bantam Coyotes took part in the Brian English Tournament, held November 14 – 16 in Elmvale, with good results. Brian English was a local referee and teacher who passed away suddenly in 2002. The November Bantam and Midget tournament in Elmvale has been held in his memory ever since.
On Friday, the Bantam Coyotes played the Flesherton Goldenhawks to a 4-1 victory. Both Hunter and Harrison Sibbald scored early on, but Flesherton kept it close. By the end of the second, Elmvale had built a 4-1 lead and held it through the third.
On Saturday, the boys played the Kawartha Coyotes. Kawartha took many penalties but kept the pressure on. The Elmvale net minder, William McDowell, stood on his head and posted his fourth shut out of the season. Xander Baatje and Jacob Fay combined for the two goals.
The third round robin game for the Elmvale Coyotes was against the Lambton Shores Predators who needed a win to move on. The aptly named Predators came on strong and pushed the Coyotes around. Matt Clarke and Jake Veenstra set up the Coyote's only goal part way through the first. The rest of the game was spent fending off attacks. The Predators scored on a power-play midway through the third and pulled their goalie early, hoping for the win. Defensemen Braeden Allen, Ben Dietrich, Colin Kitching, and Jeremy Robertson frustrated the Predators, turning away their advances and preserving the tie.
At 8 am on Sunday, the Coyotes regrouped for a semi-final game against the Listowel Cyclones. Elmvale took an early slashing penalty and Listowel capitalized. Within a minute, Listowel has scored a second time against the lethargic Elmvale skaters. In the second period, Robert McLaughlin and Matthew Clarke brought the Coyotes to life with a goal. Penalty trouble kept the Coyotes from using their momentum and Listowel scored a third early in the third period. Once again the Coyotes' hopes were raised by a late Matthew Clarke goal, but hopes were dashed by a penalty behind the play, negating a Coyote 5 on 3 opportunity to tie the game. The Listowel Cyclones won the game, but lost in the tournament final, 6-2, against the Highland Storm.
The Friday Night Hockey line-up for November 21 is as follows: Atom Local League 2 taking on Atom Local League 3 at 7 pm, the Peewee Reps facing the South Muskoka Bears at 8:10 pm, and the Bantam Reps welcoming the Stayner Cyclones at 9:20 pm. Come on out and support local hockey.
Photo Caption: Elmvale Coyotes Greg Wagner and Jacob Bouzis on the attack against the Flesherton Goldenhawks at The Brian English Tournament. The Coyotes won 4-1.