Major Atom Terriers Mine Gold in Sudbury!, News, Major Atom A - Burton Team of Investment Planning Counsel, 2015-2016, REP (Orillia Minor Hockey Association)

This Team is part of the 2015-2016 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Nov 10, 2015 | Tim Timpano | 1287 views
Major Atom Terriers Mine Gold in Sudbury!
After quietly putting together an impressive 5-1-2 record to start their season -- good enough for a share of the league lead -- the Burton Team of Investment Planning Counsel major atom Orillia Terriers continued their early success by taking the title at the Sudbury 80s invitational tournament recently.

Orillia opened the tournament with a tough 4-3 loss to the Temiskaming Shores Puckhounds. The Terriers were uncharacteristically outworked in the contest and a couple of untimely penalties sealed their fate. Ridley Tucker, Colsen Maracle and Sam Reda did the scoring for Orillia, with assists going to Aiden MacDonald and Dylan Rankin. Tucker also earned player-of-the-game honours for his strong end-to-end effort.

The opening-game loss may have been the wake-up call the Terriers needed; they returned to their old form in Game 2 of the tourney and out-hustled the Nickel City Flyers to earn a 5-3 win. Orillia's total team effort showed on the scoresheet. Tucker put home two for the Terriers, while Reda and Carter Balkwill each had a goal and an assist and Matthew Bush potted one. MacDonald and Maracle each had two assists, while Curtis Ashkewe and Cooper Long added single helpers. In a game where many of the players had strong performances, Ashkewe stood out to receive the player-of-the-game award.

Needing a win to advance to the championship final, the Terriers played their most complete game of the tournament and made short work of the Nickel City Crushers by a score of 8-2. MacDonald led the way for the Terriers from the opening puck drop to the final buzzer and earned player-of-the-game honours with a hat trick that included the eventual game winner. Rounding out the scoring for Orillia were Tucker, with two goals and an assist, Ashkewe, with a goal and two assists, Maracle and Bush, each with one goal and one assist, Balkwill, with a pair of assists, and Nolan McMackin and Will Timpano, with single helpers.

Throughout the tournament the Terriers benefited from some excellent goaltending by James Pritchard and Carter Oakley, who both came up with key saves at crucial times to keep the momentum in the Terriers' favour. It was fitting, then, the two would combine to earn the win and the championship title in a hard-fought rematch with Temiskaming.

The Terriers were eager to avenge their opening-game loss and played like they had something to prove. Orillia out-hustled Temiskaming and controlled the game through the first two periods. A hat trick by Tucker and single goals by MacDonald and Bush, with assists to Balkwill, Bush, Ashkewe and McMackin, gave the Terriers a comfortable 5-2 lead heading into the third. Things seemed to be completely in hand for Orillia when Rankin stretched the lead to four on a nice feed from MacDonald early in the third, but Temiskaming wasn't ready to go home just yet.

The Puckhounds caught the Terriers sleeping midway through the third and netted two quick goals 30 seconds apart, then closed the lead to 6-5 on a nice goal with a minute and a half to play. The Terriers weren't to be denied, however, and pulled themselves together to shut the door the rest of the way and earn the win, including a heart-stopping finish with a man short for the final 10 seconds.  Matthew Bush had an excellent game for the Terriers and earned himself player of the game honours.

Head coach Andy Long was pleased with the team's performance.

"It was fun for the boys to have a weekend away together early in the season, and it was great to see them pull together as a team for the win," he said. "This is a great group of kids with a strong work ethic and I look forward to seeing their progress throughout the year."
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