The Midget ëAí Hawks now have the upper hand in their provincial playoffs, after defeating the Spruce Grove Bandits 5-1 on Jan. 27.
It was the Hawks first game of the ëBí Division provincial playoffs giving the team a four point lead heading into their second and final game of the series.
ìWe had know idea what to expect,î said Ron Bay, head coach of the Hawks. ìWhen you try to look up their stats from a different league it means nothing. But, we took it to them.î
The first period proved to be the most difficult for the Hawks. Despite having two powerplay opportunities and maintaining a large majority of puck possession, the team couldnít find a way past the Bandits goaltender. After one period of play the Hawks were tied 0-0, out-shooting the opponent 21-3.
Within the first four minutes of the second period, the Bandits were the first on the board scoring on just their fifth shot of the game.
ìOnce they got one we told them, ëKeep going boys youíre playing well, donít let one goal discourage you.í And they didnít get discouraged.î
The Hawks hard work finally started to pay off after the halfway point of the second period. A misplayed puck behind the net involving Bandits goalie, Gordon Bennett, resulted in huge give away for the Hawks. Forward, Tyrell Parker, capitalized on the opportunity picking up the puck and scoring on the flustered goalie to tie the game. Less then two minutes later Hawks centre, Elijah Anderson, buried another one to take the lead 2-1.
Out-shooting Spruce Grove by 45-9 after the second period, the Hawks showed no signs of slowing down in the third. At the 10 minute mark Hawks captain, Jackson Roth, took a snap shot from the right faceoff circle giving them a two goal lead. Roth wouldnít stop there netting another goal less then three minutes later. Adding one more goal from Sean Greene, the Hawks took their first game 5-1 and a four point lead in the series.
The Hawks look continue their series on Feb. 7 in Spruce Grove. Knowing it will be a much more difficult contest, Bay has started working on getting more traffic in front of the net to generate some more goals.
ìWe were hoping for a little bit more goals because the goalie was a getting tired,î said Bay. ìThe puck was dribbling and staying in front of the net a lot near the end. We were trying to get in front but it was difficult because they were clogging it up. They werenít giving that stuff away.î
ìItís a six period game,î he added. ìSo, right now we are up by four (points) and that doesnít mean a lot. Weíre going to their town in their barn and we told the team, ëTheyíll be a different team when we go there.í
