Bantam BB's Win Gold in Peterborough, News, Bantam BB, 2017-2018 (Lindsay Lynx)

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Dec 06, 2017 | CDonnelly | 1492 views
Bantam BB's Win Gold in Peterborough
The Bantam BB Lynx entered the Peterborough tournament this past weekend looking for gold after a heartbreaking loss in the North Bay Tournament final a month before.  There first game was against the host team. 




The girls came out strong in the opening period with consistent offensive pressure.  After one period the score remained 0-0. Peterborough had a strong start of their own in the second and scored midway through the period to take a 1-0 lead.  However, consistent effort without panic is becoming a hallmark of the Lynx midway through the season.  They kept to their game despite being down and it paid off less than a minute into the third period with a goal by Madison Donnelly assisted by Hailee Jenkins and Belle Shaw.  This seemed to change the tone of the game as they scored a minute later with a goal by Gracie Cunday assisted by Hailee Jenkins and Kayla Golden.  They were back at it a minute and a half later with a goal by Julia Sudsbury assisted by Zoe Strybosch.  The game ended 3-1 and the girls had their first win of the tournament.

The second game was against Oshawa.  First periods have sometimes been a challenge this season but that was not the case this game.  Everyone was sharp and moving the puck well.  The first goal of the game came from a Zoe Strybosch wrist shot assisted by Mya Mattiussi. 32 seconds later Gracie Cunday would light the lamp again assisted by Julia Sudsbury. The Lynx were dominant and relentless in this game. The defensive group of Hannah Vallier, Laura Brown, Emma Lees and Julia Sudsbury continually hemming the Oshawa team in and generating offensive chances which the forwards could take advantage of.  The Lynx scored again midway through the third period with another goal by Zoe Strybosch.  Her offensive outburst ended with her stick being jammed in the Oshawa door and broken in half.  The final goal of the game was scored with just 20 seconds remaining.  Hannah Vallier’s low shot got to the front of the net where Hailee Jenkins found it and moved it to Kayla Golden who knocked it home.  Another amazing game by the goalie Courtney Semach resulted in the shutout.

Game 3 was against North Simcoe a team the Lynx had never faced.  This was not the Lynx best overall effort of the tournament.  The defensive core played strong but the forwards could not cash in on the chances they generated.  The first goal of the game went to North Simcoe from a “funny” bounce off of one of the advertisements. It bounced right onto the stick of a North Simcoe player and she buried it before the Lynx could react.  The sloppy play continued and North Simcoe capitalized again midway through the third.  The Lynx finally collected themselves and Zoe Strybosch (new stick in hand) buried another wrist shot from the top of the circle.  They continued the pressure for the final 5 minutes and with the goalie pulled scored with 7 seconds remaining. The tie ensured that they would have a chance to reach the final with a win in their next game.

Game 4 was against Belleville. The biggest challenge in this game may have been the alarm clock. This group has struggled mightily in morning games and were determined not to let it happen again.  Any doubts were quickly erased the Lynx scored 29 seconds in with a goal from Gracie assisted by Hannah Vallier.  Late in the first it was Taylor Allen’s turn as she took a pass from Isabelle Shaw and drove wide around the Belleville Defence and scored a beautiful goal from the top of the circle. This was the best game of the tournament for the line of Taylor Allen, Isabelle Shaw and Charlie Konyer as they were relentless on the fore check and continued to disrupt any Belleville breakouts.  The score remained 2-0 until the third period. The Lynx kept up the pressure and were rewarded with another goal from Gracie Cunday assisted by Emma Lees.  Emma Lees was at it again with a late goal assisted by Kayla Golden and Zoe Strybosch.  The final score was 4-1 and set up a final versus the same Belleville team.


The girls were determined not to let another gold medal slip away.  14 players came out relaxed but focused in the first.  It may have been their best team period of the tournament and Madison Donnelly scored with 3 minutes to go in the first assisted by Hailee Jenkins.  Belleville was not going to quit and they answered with their own goal 4 minutes into the second.  It remained tied going into the 3
rd and the tension mounted.  Belleville really came on in the opening of the 3rd but Courtney Semach was her usual calm, solid self in net and refused to give up any ground.  With 4 minutes to go in the 3rd the Lynx finally broke the deadlock with a goal from Mya Mattiussi streaking down the right side after a text book breakout involving Kayla Golden and Hannah Vallier.  Just 2 minutes later they gave themselves some breathing room with another goal from Zoe Strybosch with Kayla Golden and Mya Mattiussi getting the helpers.  An empty netter for Gracie Cunday assisted by Madison Donnelly and Hailee Jenkins finished the scoring and the game.  The Lynx were champions! 

The team took a big step forward with this win.  Their confidence is growing game to game and the entire team is contributing. Great job ladies!  Keep it rolling!