The Jack McVicar Professional Corporation
Minor Atom AE Petes swept their weekend games against the Stouffville Clippers
and advanced to the OMHA finals.
Coming off a big win in game 3 of the series, the Petes were looking to pull ahead with a win in Saturday’s home game (March 4), and Cole Scanlan’s goal 1:30 into the first period set the tone for the day. The Petes managed to control possession for most of the period, until Stouffville’s Caleb Rae (otherwise known as #32), drew the Clippers even with 1:36 left in the period. The Petes were not rattled though and Sawyer Spencley knocked home the go ahead goal before the period finished, giving the Petes a 2-1 lead at the intermission.
The second period saw the Petes continue their pressure on the Clippers, with Tobey Skopelianos scoring an early goal and Riley Hagerman providing some breathing room with a mid-period goal. The Petes thorn in their side - #32 – managed to capitalize on a defensive miscue and bring score closer for the Clippers, but Griff Coupland responded with an explosive wrist shot on his next shift of the game to give the Petes a 5-2 lead heading to the third.
The third period saw Stouffville pull within 2, when they scored early in the frame, but from that point on, it was all Petes. Skopelianos and Spencley each added their second of the game and the Petes capped the scoring off when Tristan Lehmann let loose what has been termed the Rainbow shot, as he chipped one over the goalie.
Assists during the game went to Archer Stalteri (2), Lehmann (2), Olivia Mercer (2), Coupland, Spencley, Hagerman, Tye Hill, Scanlan and Jack Pacey.
With the 8-3 win, the Petes pulled ahead in the series 5-3 and were off to Stouffville on Sunday (March 5) to try and finish off the Clippers.
The Clippers showed up to play Sunday and made it clear that they were not going down without a fight. The Clippers opened the scoring near the halfway point of the first, when #32 managed to blast one by Bradley Montgomery and then went up 2-0 later in the period as the Petes struggled on a 5 on 3 penalty kill.
The second period saw the Petes starting to build momentum. Montgomery made a couple of key saves, the Petes killed off a penalty and possession of the puck was decisively in the Petes favour. Although the score was still 2-0 in favour of the Clippers heading to the third, it was clear the Petes weren’t ready to give up.
Following a quick chat at intermission, the Petes opened the third period flying and when Sawyer Spencley went bar down on his first shift of the period, the Petes comeback was underway. With the Clippers pinned in their zone and every Petes line putting on pressure, it was only a matter of time before the goal lamp would be lit and it happened with just under 10 minutes to play, when Cole Scanlan hammered home a pass from Spencley. The Petes only needed a tie to win the series, but it was evident they wanted to finish with a victory and the Petes heavy pressure had the Clippers struggling to clear their zone.
With fans on the edge of their seats and the Petes players buzzing in the Clipper’s zone, it was setting up to be an exciting finish. Then it all came together, Jack Pacey pulled a clearing attempt off the boards and fired the puck into the slot where Spencley was positioned perfectly to bang home the game winner with 37 seconds left on the clock. The Petes fans erupted and the almighty Go Petes Go chant drowned out all other sounds in the rink. It was a fitting finish to a hard fought series that had Petes fans on the edge of their seats for the past two weekends. The Petes defensemen were relieved that they can now sleep without nightmares of #32 coming at them.
With the 3-2 win, the Petes won the series 7-3 and will advance to play the Oakville Rangers for the OMHA Championship. The Rangers are the top ranked AE team in the province and the Petes have split their two meetings with them this year, so it is shaping up to be another great series.
With three other PHA teams in their respective OMHA finals, there is a lot of great hockey to be played over the next few weeks, so come on out and cheer on your minor hockey teams.