By Ed Grudzinski
In what most would call a tough draw the 12u Jr. Sabres had to open the Quebec International Hockey Tournament against the number one US ranked Chicago mission Monday morning in Quebec city. If the boys were nervous they didn’t show it as they won the game in dramatic fashion during a 3 on 3 overtime.
Both teams battled hard in the first period but neither team could find the back of the net. Jr. Sabres goalie Cooper Rautenstrauch turned away several point blank chances to keep it all tied up.
Early in the second period Chicago opened the scoring on a power-play goal with a laser shot from the slot. The Jr. Sabres battled back hard with several chances but could not find the equalizer. Late in the second period the Jr. Sabres found themselves back in the penalty box but a stingy penalty kill kept it a one goal game heading into the second intermission.
Within the first minute of the third period Chicago took back to back penalties to give the Jr. Sabres a lengthy two-man advantage. Although the Jr. Sabres could not capitalize on the power play, just seconds later Frank Neeson received a pass from Riley Cwiklinski and hammered it home to tie the game at one. Both teams had several chances as the period progressed but neither team could capitalize. With only two minutes remaining in the third the Jr. Sabres were sent back to the penalty box. Chicago controlled the puck in the Jr. Sabres zone for majority of the power play but could not find any Quality chances as the Jr. Sabres were able to keep the play on the perimeter. As the penalty expired so did regualtion.
With both teams sitting at a goal a piece the game was heading to a 3 on 3 five-minute overtime period. Both teams traded chances but the Jr. Sabres would not be denied today as Ryan Smith won a battle behind the net and fed a pass to Evan Applegate who put the puck past a sprawling Chicago netminder for the overtime winner.
Following the game we caught up to head coach Mike Ansell for comment “We played really well today. We battled a lot of adversity being down 1–0 for a while. The boys showed up on the biggest stage against one of the best teams and wouldn’t be denied. I am excited to move on in the tournament and look forward to our next game”
The boys will definitely celebrate the game tonight with some pond hockey and a big dinner at their billets house. Tomorrow the team has a morning exhibition game against the Burlington Eagles followed by a fun day at the Snow Park. The next tournament game will be Thursday morning against Adirondack Junior wings.
(From the Jr. Sabres Web Page)
