By Olga Khmylev–
Coming off a hard-fought 2-1 win against Team Illinois in an exhibition game, the 12u Buffalo Junior Sabres extended their winning streak with a decisive 3-0 win over the Adirondack Junior Wings today.
After an evenly matched start to the game, Ryan Smith pounced on a loose puck, fought through a check and scored a beautiful goal after effortlessly deking out the goalie with just over three minutes left in the first period. The first goal came seconds after the team killed off a penalty and swung momentum on their side.
The Junior Sabres carried this momentum into the second and continued to bring a fast, physical game to Adirondack. Halfway through the second period, they were finally able to capitalize when Finley Patrick drew in a defender, worked the puck up to Jason Fritz who quickly connected with Riley Cwiklinski for a backdoor goal.
Early in the third period, the Junior Sabres found themselves killing off yet another penalty. This time, however, Riley Cwiklinski read and picked off a cross-ice pass in the defensive zone, split their defense and scored a shorthanded goal giving Buffalo a three-goal lead.
Cooper Rautenstrauch was yet again a stabilizing force in net, recording a shutout and helping lead the team into the next round.
The Junior Sabres remain undefeated in tournament play and will now face Anaheim at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow.
(Reprinted From the Jr. Sabres Web Page)
