Wednesday March 7th 2012
Round 2 starts with a bang in Carnduff
WOW! WOW! WOW! What a start to the 2nd round of playoffs for the Novice Cougars, against the Carnduff Red Devils. Those kids had everyone reacting in the stands, with hoots hollars whistles stomping banging and plain yelling and screaming, ( guilty as charged). What a roller coaster of emotions for an 8 & Under playoff game, and it's for 5th place, but when you see all the hard work and dedication this team has put in all year, you just want them to succeed SO bad. They came out a little slow in the 1st 2 periods and they had their work cut out for them to make a comeback in the beginning of the 3rd, but comeback they did, with 38 seconds left they were up 7-6 and they got sloppy on their D and let a Carnduff skater by to get a shot on net, that would tie it up. Goalie Zane Winter had a tough go without a lot of help from his D in the beginning of the game but he did the best he could to stop them, and then some,lol! If we thought the first 70 minutes of the game were stressful, we were about to find out how wrong we were, we're heading into OT, and who knew 5 minutes could be so stressful and last SO long! The coaching staff of the Cougars was surprisingly calm, as the Cougars defended their end and would run the clock out to head into DOUBLE OT!! Now all spectators are on edge, and I'm sure the players are a little nervous too, but they had a job to do, would it be over in the first minute, NO, they would play it out into the last 10 minutes! Where thanks to some great team work, passing and hustle, we would score the winning goal! I'm not sure who was more excited the players and coaches or the families? Let me tell you it's way easier to play a sport than to coach or watch it! Great work Cougars, we're all very proud of you!
With Wednesday quickly behind us, it was time for Friday's game, there was so much nervous energy in the lobby you could practically see it. Everyone wants their kid to play their best and score some goals or stop the goals, no matter what town you're from. It's about the kids and being proud of them for everything they accomplish and for simply trying their best and being out there on that ice with their team. You win as a team and you lose as a team, it's just that simple. With that being said we were all hoping for another hard fought dig in those corners pound on the bleachers and cheer your face off, kind of game. Again these 2 teams put on a great show for all their fans, and when we broke after the 2nd period the Cougars were leading 7-5, giving the spectators a little breathing room. THANK YOU!! But you never know what will happen after the break so you're a little on edge, waiting to see what could happen. By this point you can see that every player out there is giving it their all, but you can tell that they're just bone tired, and the Cougars must've had just a little more gas in the tank. It was awesome to see them work together and skate hard as a team to win that game and ultimately be the Consolation Round Champs (5th) in the league! Great job to all the players coaches parents and fans it's been a great year, can't wait to do it again next year! Good luck to all the kids who are moving on to play carded hockey, and to the parents of those players, serenity now, sanity later!
Tara Bendtsen
Sports contributor for the Novice Cougars
