Written by M.Langridge
The team opened the Tournament against the eventual champions, Regional Gold. The game started well and the Sharks looked to be in it for a while. Half way through the 1st period it was still no score
until Shark alumnus Chayse Herrfort managed to get one past Branden Bean on a close in shot. By the end of the first it was 2-0 for the Gold and they never looked back. The Sharks showed a bit of a spark late in the game and Bailey Matheson managed to get one past Regional Gold's goalie to break the shutout. However, the team ended up taking a hard 8-1 loss.
Game two proved to the Sharks that they can compete with these teams as they played the Cougar Wave from Burlington. Although there was no score in the 1st period the Cougars seemed to be outplaying the Sharks. The Cougars scored 3 times in the 2nd period to go a head 3-0 but with a late goal in the 2nd period, Riley Cribbin gave the Sharks the spark they needed as they started to fight their way back into the game. Cougars goalie was tough to beat as he turned away many shots and it wasn't until late in the 3rd that Mitch Finlay managed to find the back of the net. The game ended in an exciting finish that included a Cougar penalty and Sharks pulling the goalie. However, the score held at 3-2 and the Sharks took another loss.
Game three also proved tough for the Sharks as they fought to the end of a 4-0 loss against the North Shore Hitmen. The frustration was obvious on the faces of the players. This frustration was made worse by the Hitmen capitalizing on two power plays.
Game four proved again to the team that they can play at this level as they stepped up their game against the Edge from the Kitchener area. The Sharks took an early lead in the game on a goal from Justin McCarter. The teams swapped leads in the 2nd period although the Sharks found themselves down 4-2 at the end of the 2nd. Both teams continued to play very well and the game was close and exciting. The Edge opened the scoring in the 3rd to make it 5-2 but the Sharks were determined to end the round robin on a high note. They put together excellent passing plays and were driving hard to the net as the pace of the game picked up considerably. Late in the 3rd the Sharks and Edge were tied at 6 and the game was building up to an exciting finish. With just 49 seconds left in the game, the Edge managed to get one past the Sharks' goalie after a considerable amount of pressure in the Sharks' end. The well played game ended in a 7-6 loss for the Sharks.
Despite The four losses, the 98 Sharks learned a lot about the spring hockey competition and are obviously learning to play as a team. It was a fun weekend and as always, still fun to watch.
Go Sharks!