For hockey players, scoring goals is an evolution that begins when you first strap on the skates and swing at a puck on the ice, and continues on to when you are playing old-timers, trying to survive your 90 minutes of ice time each week.
Pretty much every goal scored from initiation through Atoms is scored on the rush. A player gets the puck, skates from their end, through the neutral zone into the opponents end, shoots and scores. Eventually some variation enters the scene with passes to break out of your end, a bit of back and forth in the neutral zone, and perhaps the goal comes from a rebound off the first shot.
In PeeWee however, players should be starting to cycle the puck. This means gaining the offensive zone, not shooting right away, but controlling the puck and passing it around. It also includes the defence holding the line and maintaining possession until there is a great scoring opportunity.
Both are hockey, both are exciting, but cycling shows a patience and maturity that will lead to team success beyond individual player accomplishment.
On a two game road swing through Slave Lake and Whitecourt last weekend, the Jasper PeeWee Bears showed the crowd and their opponents that their game is evolving.
On Saturday in Slave Lake, the Bears were facing a team against which they lost two consecutive home games three weeks earlier.
Jasper had something to prove against the Thunder and in the first period, both through offensive output and goaltending, their play was demonstrative. Matteo Tassoni popped in a goal about four minutes in, after some great offensive pressure around the net.
Duncan McLeod was between the pipes for the Bears and he shut down the Thunder with a pair of great saves from far and near. McLeod had a standout game—the first where he had a bevy of shots from the point to contend with.
Rhys Malcolm put the Bears up by two just as a Thunder penalty was expiring and then, not to be left out by his goal-scoring linemates, Cooper Hilworth cashed in while Jasper was working the cycle. Slave Lake would get their first goal 25 seconds before the period was over to end the period 3–1.
Jasper would score two more in the second—one more from Malcolm and a nice finish from Jax Kading, whose linemates Troy Jackson and Olivia Fonger worked hard to dig a puck loose, springing it to Kading who buried it after a short break.
But the Thunder would get three of its own to cut Jasper’s lead to one for a 5–4 score after two.
In the third, both teams were pushing hard, but solid goaltending at both ends prevented paydirt for a full 11 minutes, until Tassoni poked in his second of the game.
Jackson would then steal the puck from a Slave Lake defender with five minutes to play and score on a high, hard wrist shot to give Jasper even more cushion. And although Slave Lake would capitalize on a couple of tricky point shots, it was not enough in the end, as Jasper held on for a 7–6 victory.
The team woke up Sunday morning in Whitecourt to face the league leading Wolverines. These are always tough matches and Jasper hung in there for 40 minutes, again with the Hilworth, Malcolm, Tassoni line leading the way with some great puck control and intuitive passing.
It was tied at five after two periods and it was anyone’s game. But in the third, Whitecourt took advantage of some penalties and giveaways, as well as tired and hurt Jasper players to take and hold a three goal lead.
When the horn sounded, it was 8–5 in favour of the Wolverines—but they should be on alert as every time they play the Bears, Jasper’s skaters get a little closer to a victory.
Playoffs are coming and these two teams should meet there.
Those games start in a few weeks, hopefully these kids and our rink will be ready.
John Wilmshurst
Special to the Fitzhugh
