Jan 06, 2015 | novice-leafs | 544 views
Battle of the Bears
Saturday afternoon brought the bears out of hibernation, well one bear anyways.
It was a mild winter afternoon when the bears were called upon once again to entertain the crowd at the Erickson arena. It was Polar Bear vs Grizzly Bear in a fun-filled rematch to claim that thirst quenching bottle of iced tea.
The first period started off with a fast pace as the Leafs had many opportunities to score but just couldn't find the back of the net as the Bruins goalie stood large. Just 2 minutes later, the Bruins offense broke out to score and take a 1-0 lead against the Leafs. Uh-oh, the Polar Bears were in jeopardy of losing their iced tea as the Grizzlies grinned eagerly. Back and forth the bears battled for the puck with the Grizzlies pushing hard. But, with only a few minutes left in the period, Jonny Jet Pack (1 assist) dashed away on a breakaway only to be stopped by the Bruins goalie. Determined to score, he found Hemi (1 goal) racing to the front of the net and sent a short backhand as she scored her first goal of the game to tie it 1-1. The game was tied 1-1 and the bears were getting thirsty. Without wasting any time, 43 seconds later on the same shift, Crash (1 assist) sent a nice pass to Jonny Jet Pack (2 assists) as he skated away. Chased by the Grizzlies, he sent a sweet pass to Hemi (2 goals) who buried her 2nd goal of the game to give the Leafs a 2-1 lead over the Bruins. By far, this was Hemi's best game yet. Not only was she scoring, but backchecking extremely well. It was the determination of Crash to take away the puck from the opponents and lead the rush up the ice. The feisty first period ended with the Leafs up 2-1. The Polar Bears can just taste that ice tea now.
The second period was played well by both bears, with many opportunities favoring the Grizzlies. Ken-man, what can we say about his defensive play except for "perfect". Alongside was his brother, Rocket. These dynamic twins prevented many scoring opportunities as the Grizzlies pressed hard, by diving to slap the puck away and holding their zone like no one else. Great job boys! Bailey Boo was sensational on the offensive zone coverage, mainly holding the line and keeping the play alive as the Polar Bears were looking for their 3rd goal. Chlo Chlo was amazing in the center ice where she thwarted many rushes heading her way. Way to go Chlo Chlo! Crankin Cam played a 2 way game as he started out offensively and went back to defense to help shut down the rushing plays from the Grizzlies. McGilla Gorilla was sensational in goal....getting better and better every game, stopping everything thrown at him in that period. There was just too much at stake....that delicious iced tea! So, there were no goals scored in the 2nd period but, there were plenty of opportunities as both bears played and defended well.
It was the 3rd and final period, will the Polar Bears hang on and get all of that delicious iced tea? It was a tough period. Jordy positioning himself well and waiting for that rushing opportunity. Action Jackson weaving his way to break away on the rush and backcheck precisely when called upon. The Recruit masterfully stick handling and speeding up the ice creating opportunities. Jackster defended well, holding his own helping the team hang on to that 2-1 lead. A tremendous effort by the Polar Bears (Leafs) but with just 2:08 left in the game, the Polar Bears lost the puck in the offensive zone as it was passed to a Mighty Grizzly on the breakaway, who wasted no time scoring to tie the game 2-2. It didn't stop there, the Grizzlies were thirsty for that iced tea and they kept pressing. Fortunately, our defense held strong and cleared the zone every opportunity to hold the game to a 2-2 tie.
So the 2 Bears shook hands at the end of it all and agreed that iced tea tastes better when shared with friends!
Great game and outstanding effort by the players. Good job everyone!