Guelph Tournament Champs
The PeeWee B Outlaws played in their last tournament of the season this past weekend in Guelph.
The Outlaws played their first game of the tourney Friday afternoon against the Ancaster Avalanche. Chatham came out very flat on their 1st shift and were trapped in their own end when they were called for a very suspect penalty. Ancaster took only seconds to capitalize on the powerplay and went up 1 - 0 only 1 minute into the game. That was unfortunately the wake up call the Outlaws needed, as they basically controlled and dominated the game from then on out. Chatham outshot, outhustled and outworked the Avalanche but as so often happens, they could not beat the hot Avalanche goalie. The game would end with Chatham suffering a disappointing but not deserved 1 - 0 loss.
Chatham played inspired hockey the rest of the game, but eventually some breakdowns and loss of focus in the 3rd period led to 2 more Burlington goals and Chatham was dealt their 2nd loss of the tournament, 4 - 1.The Outlaws would look to bounce back early Saturday morning against the Burlington Barracudas. Chatham started out a little better than last game, but still took a few minutes to wake up and as a result found themselves down 1 - 0 early to the opportunistic Barracudas. Chatham would continue to battle and exchange scoring chances but were still unable to get a goal. Early in the 2nd period the Outlaws went down 2 - 0 as Burlington's speedy wingers continued to give Chatham's defense problems. Chatham again built up some momentum as Kate Brady took a breakout pass from Sydney Gillier and drove up the wing in on the Barracuda goal. Brady fired home a high wrister over the goalie's glove hand to bring Chatham to within a goal.Burlington Barracudas 4
Chatham Outlaws 1 Goal : Kate Brady (Chatham) Assist: Sydney Gillier (Chatham)
Chatham would play their 3rd round robin game against the host Guelph Thunder, later that evening and basically needed to win to advance to the semifinals or they would be going home. Chatham knew what was at stake and despite a sloppy scoreless 1st period, the Outlaws did not let up and eventually were rewarded with 2 goals in the 2nd period. Mia Brooks got the ball rolling as she fired a low hard shot from the point that beat the screened Guelph goalie. Kate Brady then netted her second goal of the tourney as she tucked home a Haley Smith rebound to give Chatham the insurmountable lead they were looking for. The defence and goalie did the rest of the dirty work to keep the slate clean as they held the Thunder to only 5 shots in the game. Larissa McFadden gladly earned the shut-out and sealed the 2 - 0 win. The pool that Chatham was in had the Outlaws tied with another team with the same record and 1 team being eliminated with 2 ties. Chatham earned the top seed in their pool by virtue of the goals for and against tiebreaker.Chatham Outlaws 2 Goals: 1. Mia Brooks (Chatham)
2. Kate Brady (Chatham) Assist : Haley Smith (Blenheim)
Shut-out : Larissa McFadden (Dresden)Guelph Thunder 0The Outlaws would be playing the Toronto Leaside Wildcats on Sunday morning in the semifinals and once again were facing a win or go home scenario. Chatham were riding a new found confidence after getting their first win in their last 6 games against Guelph. Determined to show they were better than their round robin record would indicate, the Outlaws set out to show they belonged in the playoffs. Another scoreless and sloppy 1st period solved nothing, but Chatham again would keep building up momentum and get stronger as the game wore on. Early in the second period Haley Smith would put Chatham up 1 - 0 and provide a spark that would lead to another goal later in the period. Ally Oulds corralled a rebound off of a Kate Erickson shot from the blue line and buried the puck behind the Wildcat goalie. Chatham looked as thought they would coast to an impressive victory, but a minor hiccup and defensive breakdown led to a Toronto goal that caused some nervousness as their lead was down to 1, with lots of time left in the 3rd. A strategic time out to calm the girls down and help them refocus saw Chatham ice the game away when Abi Hansen banged home a loose puck off of a Shayna Daly shot. The 3 - 1 win would send Chatham off to the finals riding a wave of momentum and confidence.Chatham Outlaws 3 Goals : 1. Haley Smith (Blenheim)
2. Ally Oulds (Chatham) Assist : Katelyn Erickson (Chatham)
3. Abi Hansen (Dutton) Assist : Shayna Daly (Chatham)Toronto Leaside Wildcats 1 Chatham would find themselves matched up in the finals against the same Ancaster Avalanche who had beaten them 1 - 0 in the 1st game of the round robin. Ancaster knocked off the top seeded Burlington Barracudas in a shoot out after 2 OT periods, so they too were riding high on adrenaline and momentum. The game was similar to their earlier match as both teams came out swinging and exchanging scoring chances. Both goalies matched the other save for save and many times were called on to bail out their teammates. Chatham managed to kill off 4 penalties throughout the game including 1 stretch where they were down 2 men for over a minute. Chatham was also short 2 defenders as 1 was hurt earlier in the tournament and another went down injured midway through the final. Chatham managed to hang on and continued grinding out some offence and slowly wearing down their opposition. Larissa McFadden continued to make save after save to keep Chatham alive and in the game, and with little time remaining in the 3rd, the game still scoreless and looking more and more like it was going into overtime, Chatham showed the heart and grit that got them to the final. Haley Smith took an outlet pass from Miah St. Pierre and with her speed , she broke free in all alone on the Avalanche keeper. Smith managed to shoot the puck hard enough that it found it's way past the dominant Ancaster goalie who only allowed 2 goals all tournament. The elated Outlaws side, kept their composure with only 2 minutes remaining and their intense pressure and forechecking wouldn't even let the Avalanche get their goalie pulled for an extra attacker. When time ran out , the Chatham Outlaws were victorious 1 - 0 and were crowned the 2011 Guelph Thunder PeeWee B Champions!Chatham Outlaws 1 Goals : Haley Smith (Blenheim) Assist : Miah St. Pierre (Chatham)
Shut-out : Larissa McFadden (Dresden)Ancaster Avalanche 0The PeeWee B Outlaws were on a far, far away 3 game road trip this past weekend. First up was a Saturday afternoon game against the 3rd place Walkerton Capitals. After a nearly 3 hour drive, the girls looked a little road weary as they came out sluggish in the 1st period.As a result Chatham surrendered a goal near the end of the 1st period , they however managed to wake up enough to score their 1st goal on minutes later. After a bit of a scramble in front of the Walkerton net, Abi Hansen was able to poke in a rebound from a Shayna Daly shot, and Alli Oliphant pass. With the goal came some new found confidence going into the 2nd period, but unfortunately a nice high shot from the point by Walkerton, found it’s way past goaltender Larissa McFadden. Chatham continued to battle hard and build momentum as the game went on, but they could not get the tying goal. Chatham was unfortunate to not tie up the game and settled for the 1 goal loss, despite goalie Larissa McFadden making a remarkable glove save on a breakaway in the 3rd period to keep the Outlaws within 1.
Walkerton Capitals 2
Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 1 Goal : Abi Hansen (Dutton) Assists : Shayna Daly (Chatham), Alli Oliphant (Blenheim)
On Sunday morning the Outlaws were off to Mt. Forest to play a double header against the 1st place Rams. Chatham did not look up to the task early as they looked half asleep and paid the price by giving up 2 first period goals to the much more aggressive and physical Mt. Forest squad. Chatham showed some spurts of offense during the 2nd period but still managed to give up another goal to go down 3 - 0 entering the 3rd period. Chatham looked tired and discouraged in the final frame and after giving up a 4th goal early in the period, they finally looked to get a little angry and began to fight back. With only seconds left in the period, defender Brooke Foster rushed with the puck up the wing from her own end and fired a low hard shot at the Ram goalie. The rebound popped out to Shayna Daly whose shot was against saved but this rebound bounce to Foster at the side of the net and she banked a shot off the goalie and in.
Chatham would hopefully improve on their effort in their 2nd game against the Rams a couple of hours later in the day.Mt. Forest Rams 4
Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 1 Goal : Brooke Foster (Chatham) Assist : Shayna Daly (Chatham)
The 2nd game against Mt. Forest saw a much more motivated Outlaws side come out looking to avenge their earlier lopsided loss. Chatham showed a jump in their step and gave the Rams some early scares , but they could not get a break or bounce to pull ahead.
The 2nd period went the same as the 1st period, where despite missing 3 players and have 1 other out due to equipment problems, Chatham managed to fight and claw and keep Mt. Forest off the scoreboard. Larissa McFadden turned away numerous Mt. Forest shots but unfortunately with only seconds left in the period, changed conceded a goal.
Down 1 goal going into the 3rd period gave the Outlaws a chance to hopefully walk away with a chance at a tie and salvaging 1 point on the weekend. Mt. Forest however had other plans and showed why they are 1 of the best teams in the league when they padded their lead with a goal early in the period. Chatham continued to battle hard until the final whistle despite weariness from playing 3 games while not at full strength. Mt. Forest got an empty net goal to round out the scoring and hand Chatham it's 3rd loss of the weekend despite a couple of solid outings from goaltender Larissa McFadden of Dresden.Mt. Forest Rams 3
Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 0
The Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws were on the road on Saturday in Stratford, playing a double header. Chatham was looking to get a couple of wins against the last place Aces and move up a couple of spots in the standings. This was not a given as the last 2 games they played against the Aces were a 1 – 0 win and 0 – 0 tie. Chatham, however showed how much they improved since their last meeting, as they were all over Stratford in the opening period. They could not get a goal but didn’t allow Stratford into their end very often. Finally in the 2nd period the floodgates opened, as Chatham began banging home the puck. Chatham’s first goal was scored by Haley Smith and was unassisted. Smith was not done as she scored only seconds later as she flew down the wing and rifled a shot from the face off circle directly into the top corner of the net. Up 2 – 0, Chatham began to build momentum and confidence and the goal parade continued. Kate Brady found a wide open Sydney Gillier and fed her high in the slot. Gillier one timed a laser shot past the Ace’s goalie that would have made Brett Hull proud! Kate Brady then jumped on the goal train herself as she buried her own rebound into a yawning cage after Miah St. Pierre set her up. St. Pierre was not to be outdone as she poked home a shot five hole after corralling a Gillier rebound. That was all the scoring the Outlaws would need as they played a puck possession 3rd period, barely allowing the Aces over centre ice. Larissa McFadden notched another shut-out, with a big assist going to the solid defence in front of her.
Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 5 Goals : Haley Smith (Blenheim) Unassisted Haley Smith (Blenheim) Unassisted Sydney Gillier (Chatham) Assist : Kate Brady (Chatham) Kate Brady (Chatham) Assist : Miah St. Pierre (Chatham) Miah St. Pierre (Chatham) Assist : Sydney Gillier (Chatham)
Shut - out : Larissa McFadden (Dresden)Stratford Aces 0 Chatham basically controlled the play from the opening face-off until the final whistle , outshooting the Aces likely 30 to 3. Stratford could barely get out of their own end , but unfortunately Chatham could not bury all their chances. The Outlaws likely played a better, fundamentally sounder game than their earlier 5 – 0 win, but the only difference was they couldn’t get the bounce to bury their opportunities. 1 Goal however would be all Chatham needed and at the end of the 2nd period Ally Oulds banged home a loose puck that Haley Smith had dug free in the Stratford crease. The goal was a relief as it looked like the Outlaws would dominate all aspects of the game, except what mattered most, the final score. The 1 goal victory was still satisfying as any road win is a good win, and Chatham deserved both victories on the weekend allowing them to gain some ground on the league leaders. Larissa McFadden was the recipient of another shut-out courtesy of the shut-down defence in front of her.
The Outlaws 2nd game later that afternoon went much the same as the earlier match, although the results weren't the same.Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 1 Goal : Ally Oulds (Chatham) Assist : Haley Smith (Blenheim)
Shut-out : Larissa McFadden (Dresden)Stratford Aces 0
The PeeWee B Outlaws played 3 games this past weekend, their first was a road game in St. Thomas on Friday night. Chatham lost to St. Thomas 2 – 0 in exhibition earlier in the season, so they would have their work cut out.
Chatham looked to be the better team in the early going but could not bury some early chances. St. Thomas however, managed to get a friendly bounce and scored a goal to go up 1 – 0 at the end of the 1st . Chatham did not back down and actually turned it up a notch and their pressure resulted in the tying goal. Brooke Foster fired a shot toward the Panther net and Alyssa Coutts kept the rebound alive. A goal mouth scramble ensued and Ally Oulds kept digging at the puck and eventually laying flat on her stomach in the goal mouth she reached out and somehow got her stick on the loose puck to tuck it home. It was a great individual effort that got the Outlaws fired up. With the game tied at 1 going into the 3rd period, Chatham’s pressure and fast pace began to wear down the Panthers and Lauren Ouimet corralled a puck at the blue line and passed it to Alyssa Coutts who managed to find Haley Smith cutting up the middle slot to the Panther net. Smith split a pair of St. Thomas defenders and roofed a wrist shot past the Panther goalie to put Chatham up 2 – 1. With time running down, St. Thomas pulled their goalie to gain an extra attacker. Chatham continued to swarm the puck , not even allowing St. Thomas out of their own end and with only seconds left Shayna Daly fired home and empty netter, a reward for some aggressive forechecking. The 3 – 1 win was one of Chatham’s better efforts of the season.
Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 3 Goal 1 : Ally Oulds (Chatham) Assists : Alyssa Coutts (Chatham), Brooke Foster (Chatham)
Goal 2 : Haley Smith (Blenheim) Assists : Alyssa Coutts (Chatham), Lauren Ouimet (Chatham)
Goal 3 : Shayna Daly (Chatham)
St. Thomas Panthers 1
On Sunday, the Outlaws welcomed the Stratford Aces to town for a double header at Memorial arena. The first game at 9:30am would see if Stratford was awake yet from their early morning drive in. Both teams looked a little sluggish and sloppy, as the action was mainly between the blue lines with neither side generating much offence. The game remained a stalemate going into the 3rd period. Midway through the 3rd, Chatham got the break they needed, as a too many men on the ice penalty put Chatham on the power play. With the play in the Aces end, Chatham set up their power play and Shayna Daly fed a pass to Kate Brady who drove to the Stratford net. Her shot was stopped but the rebound was scooped up by Abi Hansen who promptly buried the go ahead goal. With time running out in the third and the Stratford net empty, Chatham held strong and ran out the clock to pick up their second victory of the weekend. Larissa McFadden played strong in the Chatham net earning her 5th shutout of the year.Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 1 Goal : Abi Hansen (Dutton) Assists : Kate Brady (Chatham), Shayna Daly (Chatham)
Shut-out : Larissa McFadden (Dresden)
Stratford Aces 0
The afternoon game would be a rematch between the 2 evenly matched teams, with Chatham looking to complete the weekend sweep. The game was much like their earlier bout with both sides battling back and forth in the tightly knitted affair. Neither side could gain any advantage or get the break they needed. The Stratford goalie denied many Chatham chances and Larissa McFadden, Chatham’s goalie matched her save for save. With the game winding down in the 3rd and the game deadlocked at zeroes, Chatham mounted a last gasp attack and came oh so close to getting the winning goal, but had to settle for the 0 – 0 tie.Larissa McFadden earned her 6th shut out of the season and 2nd on the weekend. Chatham’s defence allowed only 1 goal in 3 games on the weekend while gaining 2 wins and a tie. Chatham has the least amount of goals against in their division at this stage of the season.
The PeeWee B Outlaws played in their 2nd tournament of the season on the weekend in St. Catharines.
Chatham’s 1st game on Friday was against the Stoney Creek Sabres. Chatham took a little while to get going and found themselves down 1 – 0 midway through the 1st period. Chatham improved as the game went on, but they could not get one past the sabre goaltender and had to settle for an opening 1 – 0 loss to the eventual tournament champs.
Chatham regrouped and came out flying for their 2nd game on Saturday morning against the Niagara University Junior Purple Hawks from the U.S. Chatham was all over the Purple Hawks and were finally rewarded with their first and only goal of the tournament. Hilary Pomajba kept the puck in at the point and Haley Smith was able to beat the Niagara goalie late in the 1st period. Chatham continued to pressure the Niagara goalie and severely outshot the Hawks , but could not get another goal. Eventually , midway through the 3rd period Niagara tied the game up and Chatham had to settle for a 1 – 1 tie against the tournament runner-ups.
Chatham PeeWee B Outlaws 1 Goal : Haley Smith (Blenheim) Assist : Hilary Pomajba (Chatham)
Niagara Jr. Hawks 1
Chatham’s next game on Saturday was an elimination game against the Lindsay Lynx. Chatham was again a little sluggish to start the game and were fortunate to get through the 1st period tied at zero. Chatham could not hold off Lindsay for much longer as the Lynx scored the only goal of the game midway through the 2nd period. Chatham continued to battle hard right to the end and Kate Brady provided some great offensive boost late in the game, but the Outlaws could not get the bounce they needed to tie the game. Chatham goalie Larissa McFadden and the Outlaws defence played great all tournament allowing only 3 goals in 3 games, so although the game results were disappointing, the Outlaws showed they can compete with some of the best teams in their division and will be a force to reckon with going forward.