Jan 14, 2019 | novrep | 1110 views
Wolfpack Win B Championship
The Paris Sports (were to go to get all your sporting needs) Novice Wolfpack headed out on January 12th in search of the fastest ice and coldest rink in Ontario. Their goal was to chip off the old Christmas/New Year's rust as they prepare for the second half of the 2018/19 season.
Like Rocky Balboa, who headed to the cold Russian mountains to train for Ivan Drago, Coach TJ sent the boys in Black and Red to the Ayton outpost in hopes that the rough and cold environment would forge a bond for the final two months. The parents were huddled in the stands sharing their body heat like a pack of Antarctic Penguins while the coaches huddled on the bench trying to make it look like they were preparing their game plan.
The cold temperatures and the long search for Ayton caught up to the Wolfpack in their opening game at 1130am. They seemed to be caught off guard when the pucks were not sticking during the warm-up, as any liquid that came in contact with the ice surface froze immediately. "Unprepared for this fast ice, the young Wolfpack was!" noted Master Sparks providing his wise and experienced insight. The lads from Flesherton jumped on Paris quickly and let the boys know that if they are going to come to the North-West parts of Ontario, they better be ready to skate to keep warm and get ready for a rough and tough battle. A late goal by the Wolfpack broke the Flesherton shutout bid but the loss put the Wolfpack on the path to the B championship.
After a two hour break to allow the coaches to warmup and regroup, the Wolfpack was set to face off with the Wingham Ironmen. With a name like Ironmen, the boys in Red knew they had to take things up a notch for their 230pm game. The Paris D-corpse brought their A-game against Wingham which led to the Paris goalie saying "Hey I need more cowbell. I gotta have more cowbell, I mean shots" as he was going a little delirious with the cold and was having visions of SNL. The forwards did an excellent job moving their feet and keeping the Ironmen pinned deep in their zone for long stretches of the game. Paris scored three goals off strong plays along the boards that led to passes to the slot area. A complete team effort gave the boys a 4-2 win and a spot in the B Finals at 430pm.
After an hour break, the boys were back at in the B final against the host West Grey Warriors. The Warriors were sporting a solid 16 and 0 record in league play, outscoring teams 119 to 9 and looked like Drago to the smaller Balboa like Wolfpack. The Wolfpack were going to be in tough. However, they boys in Red were not about to let the cold get to them this game. In a back and forth battle, the Wolfpack held a lead of 2-1 after one period and was tied at two after two periods. The third period had the fans on the edge of their seats as teams traded chances. A deadlocked game was looking like OT when the Warriors broke free to take a 3-2 lead midway through the third. However, off a face off deep in the Paris zone, Reed (I'm cccoooolll) chipped a puck free and with a burst of speed was off and tied the game at three. Connor M then took a strong cross ice pass and found himself alone at the Warriors goal to give the Wolfpack a 4-3 lead. The D-corpse of Owen, Noah, Hayden and Ty were lights out the rest of the way keeping the Warriors clear of the Wolfpack net. Slammin' Sami M slammed the door shut and snuffed out any West Grey chances. Connor M tucked in a rebound for a goal with just over a minute to play, which finally gave Paris some breathing room and a 5-3 win. Andrew 'Fireball' G was named the player of the game for Paris by the Tournament Committee. The hound line of Tallen, Aidan and J-mo had a great day harassing the opposition from start to finish using their speed to constantly take space away and make life difficult on them.
After three tough games over 6 hours, Paris was able to load back up and head home to warmer temperatures of the south with the B Championship Trophy in hand. They will be looking to use the three games as a springboard for their 2nd half of the season.
Paris opened their Southern Counties play-offs with a 5-2 win in Ingersoll and are back in action with a pair of games this week against Hagersville and Burford.