The stands were packed for a well-fought Clarington Toros victory at Scugog Arena this Wednesday. The Atom AE Toros had recently hit a bump in their road to the OMHA's, losing 6-3 against the Port Perry Predators after winning their previous 5 playoff games in decisive fashion. The team needed a big win, and knew it was going to take a team effort to get it. Some of the players were nervous, but most seemed reasonably assured that they were ready to move on from this series.
The first period began in the Toros favor; all lines were fast and putting pressure on the opponent when they had the puck. L. Guernsey potted the first one two minutes in with an excellent carry up the right side and cut towards the middle, finishing with a quick low shot. The goalie was forced to sink in the net, and stopped it over the line. After a bit of referee deliberation, a good goal was called, and the Toros were sighing relief up 1-0. Three minutes later, T. Taylor dug out a puck for N. Hibbard in stride for an open shot at the net in the slot. Hibbard didn't disappoint, going bar-down on the effort, putting the Toros up 2-0 still early in the game. After a shut-down shift from T. Oliver, N. Harper, and S. Archer, T. Taylor (on his next shift) grabbed the puck, stepped in the offensive zone, dragged the defender over to his side, and passed it to L. Storey for the big one-timer to put the Toros up to a comfortable 3-0 lead. The Toros were buzzing, but it was just the 1st period. Due to some shut down defense from J. Ward and C. Davis, A. Csizmadia stayed cold in the 1st, not facing many shots, but D. Baksh was there for some words of encouragement between periods for his fellow goaltender.
Some solid back-and-forth play in the 2nd period, with all lines moving the puck quickly and effectively. Some nice passes from C. Davis and E. Carey set up some beautiful puck movements by N. Harper and J. Jessen. The defensive pairing of N. Fraser and L. Geniole was able to keep it in the opponents end for their entire shift on occasion. There was one particular play where G. Antaya had a one-time snap shot denied five-hole on the opposing net minder off a nice feed from Jessen in the corner. Great team play all-around.
The 3rd period brought adversity, as the Predators weren't going down without a fight. It was A. Csizmadia's turn to shine. After a few nice pad saves and re-directs, he started flashing the glove, denying most of the chances coming his way. After getting several shots on one chance, he finally gave one up to make it 3-1 Toros. N. Fraser wasn't having any of this comeback, as he stepped into a wrist shot from the blue line to put up his first of the playoffs and to hopefully clinch the game at 4-1. Penalty trouble began for the Toros, but with T. Taylor pinning the puck in the offensive zone, S. Archer lifting sticks and stealing pucks, and R. Viegas possessing the puck with speed for several key minutes of the 3rd period, they were able to kill off several 5-on-4's. The Predators were able to put up a powerplay goal with a shot deflection off a Toro past Csizmadia making it 4-2 Toros with eight minutes left. Timeouts were called and the crowd was tense, knowing the ending would be exciting. The Toros finished off the final minutes of the game with some solid back check from T. Oliver and G. Antaya, and some excellent defensive forward play from L. Storey. A few more key saves from A. Csizmadia, and the Toros were on to the Semi-Finals of the OMHA AE2 Playdowns.
The Toros await the result of the Barrie Colts vs. Aurora Tigers series to see who they will be up against, but you better believe they're a force to be reckoned with either way!
LETS GO TOROS! OMHA BOUND!