A strong Novice Rep team moved easily from the regular season to post season action in pursuit of the McClure Division title.
The Novice Rep Rams motored to Milverton to face off against the Drives. The hosts took the play right to Dalton Harrison early in the match and in spite of impressive saves, the Drives forwards found the mesh at the six minute mark. They returned two minutes later and cashed a rebound for a 2-0 lead.
Luke Cowan, Jacob Reeves and Corbin Peter executed some serious fore checking, and managed to fire off a couple of rounds at the Milverton crease before the end of the frame.
Early in the second the Drives parked at the Rams end and counted their third goal, thanks to fast skating and quick tempo changes. In spite of threats made by Cory Lewis, Ryan Pacheco and Nole Black the Drives cager stood up to protect lead. Elijah Menzies and Alex Iles were key in keeping the rubber in the hosts' end. Before the end of the period, the Drives would return to the Rams' crease and deke Harrison for a 4-0 count.
At the top of the third, Peter and Cowen were faced with burning off a penalty, and did so without further damage on the scoreboard. Harrison executed a solid poke check and prevented further damage. Finally, when it looked like the Rams would have to go home with a goose egg, Black cashed a rebound off Lewis to put the Rams on the board with 43 seconds remaining.
MF AT BLYTH
It was the Rams at the Blyth Bulldogs as the Novice Reps looked for a win.
The hosts drew first blood at the five minute mark after putting a lot of pressure on the Rams defense. Ryan Pacheco passed the rubber to Nole Black who used a beautiful backhand in the top corner to tie the match in the final minute of the first period. Elijah Menzies was solid on defense to ensure the Bulldogs stayed on their leash, while Ryan Pacheco was key in setting up Rams offensive plays.
The second match was noteworthy for the end to end play, as well as the goal by Black off a rebound from Cory Lewis.
In the final stanza was impressive, as the Rams put the pressure on the Bulldogs. At the beginning of the period, the Bulldogs stood up well and prevented several shots on net, but Jacob Reeves deked the defense and finally made it to the crease. His shot was rebounded to Luke Cowen, who cashed it for a 3-1 count. The Rams defense was key in insuring the lead, as Reeves went solo for the fourth point of the game. The fans were screaming by the end of the game, as Pacheco scored the last goal, with two seconds remaining for a 5-1 final.
MF VS BRUSSELS
Thrilled with a well earned win on the road, the Rams were ready to take on Brussels MHA on home ice.
Jacob Reeves took as pass from Alex Iles and introduced himself to the Brussels cager early in the first period. He then assisted line mate Luke Cowen with a goal to advance the count 2-0. Ryan Pacheco cleaned up the leftovers of a Cory Lewis rush to insure the lead at 3. Sam Bye and Alex Iles were a wall of frustration for the Brussels squad, as they prevented several attacks on Dalton Harrison in the Rams end. Cowen and Reeves comboed again for a 4-0 count, followed by Pacheco's second point, with thanks to Nole Black and Lewis. Bye continued to feed the rubber into the front line and covered the loose man on Brussels rushes. Pacheco was on a hot streak with a fluky goal that rolled across the top bar, with thanks to a pass from Lewis. Before the clock wound down, Reeves carried a pass from Corbin Peter to the pipe and executed a tight wraparound for a solid 7-0 lead.
In the second period, the visitors found their way to the Rams end, but Harrison was waiting and executed a solid glove save. Elijah Menzies cleared the puck to put the play back in the Brussels end, but the Rams were frustrated on several attempts at the visitors' end. Finally Reeves went solo for his hat trick followed by an assist to Cowen from behind the net to end the frame 9-0.
The final frame saw Harrison tested with a thrilling breakaway, but was more than capable of the task with a solid pad deflection. Cowen marked his third goal, again assisted by Reeves for a 10-0 final.
MF VS MINTO
The Rams were locked in a cage match with the neighboring Minto Ice Dogs on Valentine's Day.
Cory Lewis, assisted by Luke Cowen and Jacob Reeves, put the Rams on the board at the three minute mark, following a period of end to end play. The Ice Dogs held the Rams off until the second period, when the Minto squad broke through the Rams defense and found the pipes. Nole Black advanced the cause, with assists to Lewis and Reeves. Riley Moore's quiet determination was needed on defense, as the Ice Dogs attempted to break through before the clock wound down.
In the third Harrison was tested repeatedly and stood up well to the challenges, when the puck made it past Sam Bye, Riley Moore, Alex Iles and Elijah Menzies - outstanding warriors on the blue line. The Ice Dogs finally did penetrate the Rams wall of defense with just over a minute remaining and the squads had to be satisfied with a 2-all final.
MF ENTERS PLAYOFFS
The Rams faced off against the Elma Logan Wildcats in WOAA qualifiers. The Rams made quick work of the Wildcats, taking three straight - 5-1, 4-1 and 4-1.
The next round of post season action in the McClure Division, saw the Rams enter a round robin with Ripley's Wolves and the Lucknow MHA. Mount Forest visited Ripley for the first match - a mid week game that saw the Rams thrill the fans with an exciting contest.
Alex Iles made a stand on his blue line, as the Wolves prepared to circle the Rams zone. Corbin Peter, Jacob Reeves and Luke Cowen terrorized the Wolves' cager but could not break through. Cory Lewis was successful, however, with a thrilling solo effort midway through the period. With the Wolves on the prowl, Riley Moore stood up to the waves of attacks, covering the winger and pulling the puck off the stick. Elijah Menzies covered his player as well, keeping the Ripley offense slightly off balance. The Rams defense was further bolstered with an impressive double pad stack by Dalton Harrison. The first chapter ended with a goal attributed to the combined efforts of Peter and Cowen.
Early in the middle period, the Wolves found the top drawer of the Rams net to get on the board. Riley Pacheco made good use of the boards and returned the play to the Ripley end. With end to end play for most the period, Harrison withstood solid attacks kept the Wolves at bay to prevent further damage.
Peter, Reeves and Cowen gave the Wolves defenders a workout as they parked at the Ripley crease at the top of the third. Harrison was once again under attack and managed to fight off the Wolves without give up the lead. The Rams insured the lead with a dazzling solo goal by Reeves off the faceoff. The Wolves would not go quietly and managed to have a slow slider trickle over the goal line to advance the count 3-2. Peter worked the Wolves winger hard and executed a solid poke check, followed by Moore's clearing passing to take the action out of the Rams end. The Mount Forest squad burned off a penalty, and even managed to take the play back to the Ripley end. While the fans were feeling confident of a Rams victory, the hosts stunned the team with a thrilling breakaway that bested Harrison and sent the teams into overtime.
It only took two and a half minutes for Lewis to pop the puck over the mass of bodies in the crease to give the Rams the 4-3 win.
MF VS LUCKNOW
The Rams hosted Lucknow MHA in a two game turnaround over the weekend. The guests lit the scoreboard first, as a breakaway beat Harrison midway through the first period. The Rams forwards worked hard, but both Cory Lewis and Jacob Reeves were denied in two of the many waves of attack. Riley Moore and Sam Bye were bookends on the blue line and frustrated several offensive plays.
Lewis was on fire with three brilliant breakaway attempts, but was frustrated each time, followed by efforts by Nole Black. The line of Luke Cowen, Jacob Reeves and Corbin Peter were entrenched at the Lucknow crease but could not defeat the LMHA cager. Black got the Rams on the board, by blasting a shot from Lewis, that bounced over a mass of bodies at the crease. Galvanized by the goal, Black repeated with a shot deflected off a Lucknow defender's glove. Peter had numerous attempts at the net and was robbed of a solid opportunity with a pipe shot. Alex Iles looked impressive with a breakaway but was denied.
Riley Moore's poke check was well used in the third as the squads dug in to the third period. Elijah Menzies messed up his player and prevented numerous attacks. Ryan Pacheco, Lewis and Black had numerous face-offs in the Lucknow end and but could not penetrated the crease until the six minute mark when Black received from Pacheco to count 3-1. Harrison stood firm in his crease, using glove saves and pad blocks to ensure the lead, until a mess of bodies prevented him from grabbing a rebound. However, the clock wound down before further damage could take place, resulting in a 3-2 final.
The following day the Rams travelled to Lucknow to determine the second phase of the round robin with the LMHA.
Corbin Peter showed improved speed and executed a solid back check technique, while Nole Black used the boards to his advantage and work the puck to the Lucknow end. While the play was end to end with several excellent attempt, it wasn't until the the four minute mark that Luke Cowen cashed his own rebound to start the scoring. The Rams' Alex Iles sacrificed the body for his defensive play, while Ryan Pacheco, Black and Cory Lewis ganged up at the hosts' end. Lewis grabbed a rebound from Black that popped loose from the goalie's glove to move the count 2-0. Jacob Reeves then insulated the lead with a solo effort to round out the first period.
In spite of excellent passes by the Rams and repeated rushes to the Lucknow net, the Mount Forest squad was prevented from scoring in the second. However, they were successful in preventing the hosts from getting on the board. The Rams defensive lines were airtight, leaving Dalton Harrison with a much deserved break. The third frame, however, became a free for all. Alex Iles received from Lewis to move the count 4-0. Within minutes Lucknow did earn a point after an impressive end to end play. They repeated moments later with the same shot - a deep angle sizzler. The Rams prevented further damage as Black, assisted by Lewis and Pacheco flipped the puck over the downed goalie's shoulder. As the clock wound down, Lewis was helped by Black with 25 seconds remaining to log a solid 6-2 win.
UPCOMING
The Rams look forward to their final game in the round robin, facing off against Ripley on Thursday March 12 at 7 p.m. at the Mount Forest Sportsplex.