The Vets kicked off their weekend road trip in New Hamburg last night as they looked to make up for last weekend’s overtime loss to the 1st place and currently undefeated Firebirds.
Entering last night’s contest the Vets were not exactly rolling heavy. Missing in action were forwards Jonah Jacksteit, Lucus White, Gabe Costantini, Lakin Hendry and defencemen Patrick Klazer and Liam Munro but the Vets were not exactly about to let that be their excuse. Instead, what we witnessed was one of the most impressive team efforts we’ve seen in years!
While the Vets gave up the first goal late in the 1st period, they came back strong in the second as a great defensive play by Braeden Nelson led to an odd man rush which in turn led to him finishing the play off at the other end and drawing the Vets even. A few moments later Caden Bower delayed long enough to find Kyle Baker in the slot and he made no mistake to push the Vets ahead 2 – 1.
On the other side of the score sheet, things were even more frantic with several penalties and misconducts leading to man advantages on both sides but most impactfully shortening the Vets bench even more. Furthermore, the Vets lost two more bodies when Collins and then Woods were sidelined due to injuries leaving the Vets very short staffed with a whole lot of time between then and the end of the game.
In what can only be described as a gritty effort, the Vets held the Firebirds at bay until the 12 minute mark in the 3rd period when the Birds drew even. With still half a period remaining in the game the Vets doubled down as they continued to hold off the Firebirds while trying to shift the momentum back in their favour. With just over two minutes remaining, the whistle went the way of the Birds when Kyle Baker was sent to the box forcing another crucial penalty kill. When the final buzzer sounded to end regulation, the two teams remained deadlocked at 2.
3 on 3 overtime offered a great opportunity to our depleted squad who now set their sights on finishing this one off in style. After trading chances, a Keaghan Brett save at one end sprung Nolan Brett and Christian Pelley on a 2 on 1 break. The rookie, with the game on his stick, decided to call his own number and made absolutely no mistake as he snapped one past Griffin Murphy to win the game.
Special Congratulations to:
Nolan Brett scored his first junior goal in overtime to win the game.
Seth Clark made his junior debut backing up for Keaghan Brett.
What’s Next:
The Vets will continue their road trip as they head to Burford tonight to take on the Bulldogs. Game time is 7:20pm.
Around the Doherty:
The Tavistock Braves hosted the Hespeler Shamrocks winning 11 – 2. Meanwhile, the Burford Bulldogs were in Norwich where the two teams finished deadlocked at 4.
Current Standings:
Ticketing Information:
Fans are asked to get their tickets ahead of time. While we can process tickets at the gate, it will be a delayed process. Purchasing ahead of time ensures that we fulfill our requirements related to contact tracing while also avoiding long lines and delays.
To purchase tickets go to: http://woodstocknavyvets.eventbrite.com
Season tickets (flex passes) are also available at the above web address.