Feb 10, 2016 | Terri Patterson | 1170 views
Crusaders open WOAA playoffs with a win!
The Howson Mills Bantam Reps traveled to Wingham to take on the Ironmen in the first game of the WOAA playoff round.
The Crusaders entered the game a little banged up. With Ryan Jacklin and Ted Jacklin done for the season, and missing Captain Jacob Roth with a knee injury, they knew they would be in tough.
The Crusaders started slow, feeling out the Ironmen, and keeping them to the outside of the rink. Colin Howson tried to set the tone, hitting any Wingham player that crossed his path, but that couldn't produce any goals and the first period ended with no score.
The second period was a little better, but the Crusaders weren't able to generate much in the way of offence. Howson continued to hit anything in his way, and defenceman Mitch McNichol did likewise, handing out a couple of big hits.
The Ironmen were able to get on the board in the second period on an innocent looking play. The Ironmen defenceman shot the puck towards the net hitting an Ironmen forward causing the puck to change direction and get by goalie Spencer Lazarevich. the period ended with the Crusaders down 1-0.
Third period started better, with the boys finally getting their legs underneath them. Four minutes in to the third period Myles Johnston took a pass from Ben Jacklin in the slot, stick handled around a couple of Ironmen players, and scored on a nice shot. This was all started from some nice work by Colin Howson on the boards.
The Crusaders started to put the pressure on the Ironmen. Alex Coultes had a couple of nice rushes, but wasn't able to get a goal. Bailey Bos and Dakota Coultes did a great job of keeping the pucks in at the point, resulting in shots on goal, but they weren't able to connect. With 32 seconds left in the game the Crusaders buzzed the Wingham net and were rewarded with a goal by Bailey Bos, assisted by Mason Weber, giving the Crusaders a 2-1 win.