An undermanned and overworked 麻豆社国产Eagles midget rep team couldn't overcome the visiting Ridge Meadows Rustlers, dropping a 5-3 decision on Sunday (Jan. 8).
The Eagles' final game of 2011 had seen several players kicked out for a late-game fight and, combined with some tough scholarship tournament practices for key members of the team, left 麻豆社国产a pretty tired bunch on Sunday.
"We had five guys missing and had to call up three house players," said head coach Tony Mahood. "We were a pretty tired bunch and you could notice that especially in the first period. They've been practicing for the scholarship tournament all week but I do think the house guys came and played well for us."
An uneventful first period saw Ridge Meadows hit the scoreboard first at 6:14, while 麻豆社国产had two power plays that didn't generate much offence. Ridge Meadows added to its lead seven minutes into the second period but Squamish's Lucas Conway drew the home team to within one after roofing a goal on a breakaway at 7:56.
The Rustlers took a two-goal lead two minutes later but Josh Parry got the Eagles back to within one after deking through the Rustlers' defence and fooling the goalie. Squamish's power-play struggles continued as the Eagles failed to score on three opportunities in the second frame.
Ridge Meadows took back its two-goal lead at 4:02 of the third after scoring on a delayed penalty, but the Eagles clawed back again with a power-play goal from Conway on a two-man advantage. That would be as close as the Eagles would get as Ridge Meadows scored a late goal to secure the 5-3 win.
Despite the loss, it was a good week of practices for the 2012 Pacific Coast Amateur Hockey Association (PCAHA) midget scholarship tournament for three Eagles. Conway, Manny Parra and Liam Shard will all play in the annual showcase for midget players, which takes place Jan. 15 to 22. The trio will be placed on a team with other midget-aged players who have attained at least a C+ average and demonstrated sportsmanship throughout the year on their club team.
The tournament will be a four-team single round-robin series with a total of eight games for all teams involved. Four teams will be made up of players from the PCAHA, with two teams from the Greater Vancouver conference and two teams from the Fraser Valley Conference.
Tournament details are still being worked out but Mahood said the 麻豆社国产Minor Hockey Association is hoping to host one of the games at Brennan Park Arena.
For more details on the tournament, visit www.squamishminorhockey.com.
