For the past 2 weekends, the Pee Wee Cougars have sure been grateful to Roger Faford and Deb Chalus who have both served as guest Zamboni drivers during Pee Wee games. The kids of Carlyle are sure lucky to have people like Roger and Deb helping out. Deb was not only busy driving Zamboni, she also sang "O Canada." I guess Roger will have to sing next time. Well, the Pee Wee Cougars had a busy weekend of hockey again. On Saturday, they played host to the Kipling Royals. After last week's tie, both teams were anxious to resume where the last game left off. Kipling took a 3 nothing lead, but the Cougars refused to back down. At the beginning of the second period, Jake Macleod put Carlyle on the scoreboard with a breakaway goal. Five minutes later, Kirk Zacharias ended up with a breakaway of his own. With a Royal bearing down on him, Zacharias managed to get away a beautiful shot and score topshelf, before the check arrived. His celebration ended up being on his knees sliding into the boards. Next, Macleod picked up a pass from Sam Matthewson and scored another to tie up the game. At this point, the Kipling coach looked nervous from his perch high atop the Kipling bench. The Cougar forwards had an impressive game. Many times, forward Austin Dovell picked up the puck from the defence and took it up the middle. On one attack, Dovell was checked at the red line. The check spun him around but as his blade swept past the Kipling player's stick, Dovell took the puck back and continued down the ice. Likewise, forward Riley McCrimmon had a great game. McCrimmon is an intimidating player and the Royals seemed particularly frustrated with McCrimmon's presence in front of the net. They tried to move him out of the scoring zone, but Riley could not be budged. But the Royals managed one more goal before the end of the second. In the third, Tommy Cappo decided to get in on the action when he collected a puck from Macleod and Chalus. Cappo slammed home a beauty to tie it up again. However, on this night, Kipling ended up winning with 2 more goals near the end of the third. The final score was Carlyle 4, Kipling 6.
On Sunday, the Cougars descended on Wolseley for the second game of their first round in Provincial Playoffs. It was a special day, not just because of the playoff game. It was Coach Matthewson's birthday. After a beautiful rendition of "Happy Birthday" in the lobby, the Cougars considered giving him the bumps. But after careful consideration, it was decided that instead of birthday bumps, Coach Gilles would get the special privilege of carrying Coach Magotiaux's backpack.
Sure they were playing the Hawks, but it was the Cougars who came out flying. The Cougars did a great job passing and moving the puck against Wolseley. In this game Clayton Hill had a check for the highlight reel. He played solid hockey all game and in shorthanded situations used his powerful shot to clear the puck. Ashton Magotiaux also had a super game. She is not intimidated by any opponent and she never quits on a play. At one point she had been checked to the ice, but didn't give up the puck. She ended up making a perfect clearing pass while sliding across the ice on her knees. Later in the game, like last week, Magotiaux showed off her speed with a breakaway rush for a shot on net. Wolseley was looking to get physical with the Cougar forwards, but Tommy Cappo showed the Winterhawks he was no Spring Chicken to physical play. Cappo played hard and tough with some fancy moves in the neutral zone and some grinding in the corners. Mac Niven played like he was his dad's size. Mac's fearless attitude and impressive speed wreaked havoc on the Wolseley attack. Every time the Hawks had the puck and Niven was on the ice, he was in their face taking the puck away. Mac was all smiles after the win and so was his dad who won the 50/50again! The Winterhawks also discovered that it takes more than one player to lift Sam Matthewson's stick from the ice. You better send the house, if you plan to stop Mattheson. In this game, the Cougars used many methods to move the puck past Wolseley. Matthewson used the boards to carry the puck past the Wolseley defence. Jacob Chalus also moved the puck past the Hawks but more often used a toe drag or a "between their feet and pick it up on the other side" move. Chalus's speed was an important part of moving the puck to Wolseley's side, and Chalus's determination was an important part of keeping the puck there. The number 13 jersey proved to only be bad luck for the Wolseley team as Carlyle #13 Jory Dyck had a great game. His ability to pick up the puck at the boards and find teammates up the middle was one of the main reasons the Cougars were so successful in clearing their zone in the game on Sunday. The Cougars' "dump and chase" strategy worked well to wear out the Wolseley Winterhawks. The Jettster, Jett BigEagle, continues to be a part of the checking and scoring attack. BigEagle demonstrated true soaring to the Hawks when he moved the puck along the boards and up the middle of the ice into the Wolsley end. Dalton Loustel played great hockey on defence and offence in the second game of Provincial Play. Loustel hustled to pick up loose pucks in the corner and created many scoring chances for the Cougars. But in this game, it was Jake Macleod who managed to find the back of the net on two occasions. The first goal saw Jake "Shake and Bake" Macleod turning the lone defenseman inside out before moving into the Wolseley end. The Hawk defenseman literally went down trying to keep up with Jake's dekes. Jake's mom may like KFC, but Jake prefers to "Shake and Bake" his birds. In the end, Wolseley fans had "frowns around the lake" in the "town around the lake." The final score was Carlyle Cougars 2, Wolseley Winterhawks 0. The two game total point score was Carlyle 8, Wolseley 0. That means Kruz Wilson gets another shutout! He was stellar the entire series. His blocker seemed impenetrable and his glove side was a trap. Heck, for part of the second game, he didn't even have a stick! With the Winterhawks out of the way, the Cougars advance to the next Provincial Round against the Esterhazy Flyersjust another flock of birds for the Cats.
