In another exciting and hard-fought matchup, this week the Ancaster Sabres took on the division-leading Red Wings in a battle for first place in the standings. The game lived up to its billing as a clash of titans. With fast skating, hard shooting and two goalies who came up with amazing saves time and time again, it was a thrilling show for fans of both teams.
From the first puck drop, both teams knew it would be a battle. Center Zachary danced through the Red Wings defense, only to be stonewalled by their experienced goalie on his first couple of rushes. Persistence pays off, though, and #8 continued his assault on the net, ripping a high wrist shot into the top corner just past the goalie’s glove at 5:30 left in the first period. Forwards Mark, Xavier and Andrew established a strong forecheck early on, keeping the puck in the Red Wings end for most of the first period, leaving their opponents gasping for a line change.
The Red Wings would quickly answer with a goal of their own in the 2nd period, making the score 1-1 at 8:42. Tobin solidified his status as a physical center, muscling his opponents off the puck and sending pass after pass to the net. The Cole Patrol set up shop in the neutral zone, breaking up plays before they could develop into 2 on 1 rushes against crafty rookie goalie Braeden, who patiently cut down the angles on Red Wings rushers, with assistance from defenders Michael and Kyle. These lightning-fast blueliners created a no-fly zone down the middle of the ice, forcing their opponents into the boards to take their shots from poor angles. At 4:10 left in the second period, Nathaniel connected with Thomas for the Sabres’ 3rd goal of the day. This assist was Nathaniel’s first career point! Congratulations on your first point, Nathaniel, and here’s to a long and fun hockey career!
Determination and grit obviously run in the family, as Nathaniel’s twin brother electrified the crowd with an end-to-end rush, weaving through the entire Red Wings team (briefly stopping to wave at mom) and blasting a shot on goal in the third period, only to have it blocked. Not to be deterred, he continued to hammer away with a wrap-around attempt. Fresh off the injured reserve list, Nathan battled back from a week-long illness to enforce his will on the blue line, keeping the puck in the offensive zone and making scoring opportunities for his teammates. Jack’s tireless battling for the puck along the boards, around the net and in the neutral zone earned him the prestigious, and now slightly pungent, Ancaster Sabres Hardhat. Thanks for your hard work, Jack!
At 3:30 left in the third, the Sabres notched what they thought was an insurance goal, making the score 4-1 only to see the Red Wings battle to the very last second, as they scooped up a loose puck in front of the Sabres net and pounded in a shot from the right side with 30 seconds left, ending the first meeting between these teams with a score of 4-2.
These teams will face off once more during the regular season, and from the display these two talented teams put on in the first go-round, the rematch promises to be another epic battle!