Momentum for Wild after big South Division victories
By Jon Yaneff, Sports Reporter
February 17th, 2009 at 6:42PM November 30th, 2011 6:30PM
If gaining momentum this weekend was the goal for the King Wild, winning against the top South Division rivals definitely got the job done.
Despite only having 11 skaters for the majority of the team’s three games, they played crisp, team hockey, picking up three well-deserved victories.
Against the top two South teams, the Wild played their best hockey all season, as the regular campaign ended with a thrilling 6-5 overtime victory over the second-place Bradford Rattlers (33-7-1, 67 points) Monday at the Dr. William Laceby Community and Arena in Nobleton.
Centre Anthony Simone was the hero, scoring 2:55 into the extra frame on the power play.
“It was a great relief,†said the Aurora resident. “We kind of let things slip away, but we battled back. We know now if we play as a team, we can beat any team in this league.â€
The Wild jumped to a 2-0 lead, 10 minutes into the first, as Simone also led the game off with a goal. Forward Jon Adams scored King’s goal. With 10 seconds left in the frame, forward Viliam Knap threw the puck to the net, which luckily beat the starting goalie Kyle Parker.
The second had a lot of action, as Knap tied up the game four minutes into the frame, a couple minutes later centre Brendan Farrugia scored a shorthanded marker after a long feed from defenceman Derek Long.
Bradford battled back, tying it up once again, as forward Sam Odell beat Parker. With two minutes to go in the second Long took advantage of an open lane to fire the puck in the back of the Rattlers cage. Then with about 22 seconds left, Farrugia (on the powerplay) took an in-tight shot that barely snuck through into the net, but it gave the Wild a hefty 5-3 lead after two.
The third was full of its antics. First Knap woke his team up by scoring his hat trick goal on the power play, then with 4:43 left Odell tied it up to send the game into overtime.
Game notes: Two too many men penalties (one in the third and another in overtime) by Bradford, led to Simone’s eventual heartbreak for the Rattlers. Parker played outstanding in net for the Wild, stopping 57 pucks in the overtime victory. The victory meant the Wild won the season series between the two teams, three games to two.
The first-place Innisfil Lakers (34-6-1, 69 points) seem to be the Goliath, to the Wild’s proverbial David. But, the Wild beat the Lakers, 4-2, Saturday in Nobleton, despite only having 11 skaters, compared to 16 for Innisfil.
The game was a true fight, right down to the finish. With precisely 50 seconds left, the game was called by the referees due to extreme fighting and fear of the violence continuing.
Three fights occurred with less than a minute remaining. Forwards Steve Wicklum and Marc Fortin separately fought defencemen Tyler Roache and Jamie Wicks respectively.
After the game, parents and others from the Wild brass accused Laker head coach Shane Hicke of sending his players purposely to fight the Wild.
“I wasn’t sending guys to fight, but I was telling them to grab (the opposing player),†Hicke clarified. “So, for somebody to say we’re that type of team is absolutely wrong.â€
There was also a rare goalie tilt, between the Wild’s Phil Bogner and the Lakers’ Geoff Sadjadi.
“I think my emotions got the best of me,†said Sadjadi of his fight. “I just wanted the game to end, so I think it was the right thing at the time, but at the same time I probably shouldn’t have done it.â€
Sadjadi entered the game after the starting goalie, Matevz Grabnar, allowed three goals on 15 shots.
The Wild started hot, as centre Brendan Farrugia scored 45 seconds into the game. Forward Jon Adams made the score 2-0 about five minutes later.
Innisfil breathed life about a minute later, with forward Brian Davidson beating Bogner. Simone gave the Wild a 3-1 lead, scoring with 1:19 left in the period. Defenceman Manny Lopez made it closer in the second, as the only goal scorer of the frame.
With four and a half minutes left in the game, Wild centre Fortin scored an unassisted power-play goal, as he gained a burst of speed from the left side of the ice, then deking to the right, beat Sadjadi. The marker gave the Wild a two-goal lead and put the game out of reach for the Lakers.
“If we have that kind of heart every game nobody touches us,†said Wild Head Coach Paul Hampton.
Bogner played possibly his best game of the year, registering 47 saves on 49 shots, while Grabnar made 12 saves in the first, then Sadjadi made 20 the rest of the way.
Game notes: Bogner was suspended for two games, so versus Toronto and Bradford, after the fight.
The fourth-place Wild (26-15-2, 54 points) also beat the fifth-place Toronto Canada Moose (17-19-4, 38 points), 7-5, at a neutral rink, the Teen Ranch in Caledon East, Sunday.
This was also an old-fashioned battle. After trailing 3-0, forwards Fortin, Farrugia and Salituro tied it up. Sam Peluso and Joseph Moticchio gave the Canada Moose a 5-3 lead after two. King came back strong in the third, as Farrugia had a pair to connect with a hat trick, while Matt Marchese also had one. Forward Jon Adams scored the game-winning goal with 4:25 left to play.
Three wins = 6 points: The boys have finally bought into the teams system and it couldn’t have come at a better time, just before the playoffs.
“I think this is the best thing that could have happened to us,†said captain Steve Wicklum. “We have finally came together and we stuck with a system that was designed before we came into this weekend and everybody bought into it 100 per cent of the time and we got six out of six points.â€
As other Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League teams look to finish out the schedule this week, the Wild will keep themselves busy against a junior team from Montreal, Team Ulysee, in an exhibition contest Saturday (Feb. 21) in Nobleton.
Playoffs: The Wild already know their first-round opponent in the GMHL playoffs. They will face the third-place Deseronto Storm (26-10-3, 55 points). They still have a few more games remaining, so a schedule is pending.
Injury/absent report: Dan Douglas missed the Innisfil game with an infection in his wrist, but bounced back for the remaining two games. Colin Fallis has a pinched nerve, suffered in the Bradford 7-0 loss Feb. 8, and remains day-to-day, as he missed the entire weekend. Charles DeBow (visiting a U.S. college) and Nick Leggieri (at a wedding) also missed games this weekend. Taylor McComb (broken hand) and Tom Coukos (ruptured tendon in hand) continue to be injured and out of the lineup, but hope to be back for the playoffs. Colin Shearing also missed a game.