Nov 29, 2011 | tonyh | 2439 views
Rock’s Finalists in Falls Tourney
By Mike Costigan - Team Reporter
The Minor Atom Shamrocks spent the weekend competing in their second tournament of the year, “The Festival of Lights Tournament” in Niagara Falls, New York. Hespeler opened the tournament against Markham Waxers and while they dominated their Canadian foes for much of the game, they were only able to score once.
Unfortunately, the Waxers tied the game with a goal late in the third period to salvage a tie.
Saturday afternoon, the Niagara County Coyotes played host to the Shamrocks. Once again, the first period was played for the most part in the American opponents end but the scoring drought continued for Hespeler. To the boys’ credit, there was no quit in them and they were finally rewarded midway through the second. Four more goals followed and the Shamrocks won 5-1.
Sunday morning presented a must win situation for the Rocks if they were to advance to the tournament final. Toronto’s, Vaughan Rangers suffered a 3-0 loss in what was Hespeler’s best effort yet. The Shamrocks scored twice in the first, and added a nice shorthanded goal in the second which took the wind out of the sails of the Rangers. The victory clinched first place in round robin play for the Rocks and a spot in the final against the Markham Waxers.
Unfortunately, the outcome that was hoped for wasn’t to be as the Markham Waxers outworked the Shamrocks and earned a 2-1 victory in the final. The experience will certainly benefit the team as they strive to improve their consistency and overall team play. Hold your heads high Shamrocks!