Jan 19, 2014 | mholzel | 242 views
Midget Major Stars crowned Bluewater League regular season champs
The Amherstburg Stars midget major team picked up a tie and a victory in a pair of games last weekend enabling them to secure top spot in the Bluewater League’s regular season final standings.Assistant coach Les Garrod replied after the final game last Saturday, “we had a strong season so far but now that doesn't mean anything. We have to be prepared to play even better in every area of the ice if we want to make it out of our own Bluewater League. The real season for us will be starting up this weekend.”
In the season’s final home game last Friday night against the ever-dangerous LaSalle Sabres, the Stars called upon Thomas Demarco to defend the cage and he held the Sabres scoreless after the opening period.In the late stages of period two, with the Stars a man-up, a point blast off the tape of defenseman Dean Patterson would get redirected from Colin Leardi and the Stars had a lead heading into the intermission break.The third period turned wild as the Sabres turned a pair of Stars’ turnovers into goals and suddenly the hometown boys were down 2-1 midway into the final segment.A fresh set of legs were needed and Ryan Holzel spotted winger Mitch Holden off to the side of the Sabres net and his shot found its way just under the top red pipe for a 2-2 tie.A screened Demarco would allow the Sabres to add to their total but just two minutes later, Marshal Laing and hulking forward Jacob Damico would combine to feed Zak Parlette and his bad angle shot would cap off the scoring at 3-3 and the Stars were forced to settle for the tie.Last Saturday in Tecumseh, the Stars knocked off the Eagles in a dominating fashion with a 6-3 win.With just over three minutes off the opening draw, it was a Holzel shot from the slot that was blocked by Eagle netminder Jake Walton and “Quick Hands” Cory Burns would knock in the free rebound out of the air for an early 1-0 Stars lead.The Eagles refused to fly away and responded with a duo of tallies only seven seconds apart to grab the lead midway through the first period.Only a single minute remained in the first period when a Garret Meloche rink-wide pass was scooped up by sneaky winger Michael Ciccone and he restored the contest back to even at 2-2.The Stars grabbed the lead for good early in the second period as Robbie Lavoie slipped the puck to Leardi in the slot and his shot found the five-hole as goaltender Daniel Tonietto received the lead he would not relinquish.At the eight-minute mark, a feather pass from Sean Santarossa to Garret Meloche ended up enabling the Stars to take a two-goal lead.The Eagles would strike again before the period expired but the Stars would settle the game in the final period with a pair of goals from Ciccone and the “L Family” would close out the scoring as beautiful passing by Laing to Lavoie to Leardi would give the Stars the regular season Bluewater Title for 2013-14.Now the Stars will begin their second season which they hope will see them have a long run in the OMHA playdowns. The coaching staff all know they have the right talent to get the job accomplished but it all depends on whether they can drink from the fountain of success or rest their heads on a pillow of broken dreams.Good luck boys! Get ‘er done!