The Major Bantam AAA Trappers travelled to Hamilton this past weekend to participate in the Hamilton Jr Bulldogs Tournament. The Trappers advanced to the semi finals before being eliminated by the eventual champion hosts from Hamilton.
In game one on Friday afternoon the major bantams fell to the Sun County Panthers 2-1. Ben Harris scored the lone goal assisted by Brett Richardson. Caleb Sanders was solid in net despite the loss. Friday night the Trappers rebounded with a tight 1-0 victory over the Scarborough Bruins. Harris again supplied the goal with assists from Jake Fullerton and Todd Violette. Caelan McAuliffe recorded the shutout.
On Saturday, the Trappers defeated the Niagara North Stars in another tight 1-0 game. Caleb Sanders had the shutout while Dominik Godin scored the lone goal with assists to Harris and Violette. With the win over Niagara, the Trappers advanced to the quarter finals on Saturday night in a rematch with Scarborough. The Trappers came away with a decisive 5-2 win. Harris once again lead the way with 2 goals and an assist while Godin chipped in with a goal and 2 assists. Violette and Richardson had the other goals while Owen Ethier, Callum Craft and Nico Laforge had single assists. McAuliffe had the win between the pipes.
In Sunday mornings semi final the Trappers could not solve the Hamilton goaltender while Hamilton jumped on man advantage opportunities in coming away with a 3-0 win.
The major bantams are now off until December 22nd when they host the Nickel City Sons at 2 p.m. in Verner prior to their Christmas break.
Minor Bantam
The North Bay Assante-Thomson Financial Partners Minor Bantams travelled to Hamilton this past weekend where they posted a tournament record of 1-3-1. The Trappers suffered a tough first game loss to Huron-Perth Lakers 6-5 despite controlling most of the play. The Trapper’s would fall short again versus the Brampton 45s by a score of 5-2. The third game of the weekend saw the Trappers down 2-0 versus the Oshawa Generals but would battle back for the 2-2 tie late in the third period.
Heading into game 4 of the weekend the Trappers would need a win to keep their tournament hopes alive as they faced the Guelph Gryphons who went undefeated in their pool. An exciting see-saw battle would see the Trapper team emerge the winners by a score of 5-4. The win set the table for an early Sunday game as they would again face the Huron-Perth Lakers. Despite many opportunities the Trapper team would fall short as the Lakers would take the game by a score of 3-2.
Major Peewee
The Hopper Buick/GMC Major Peewee AAA Trappers took part in the fourth annual VK classic in Vaughan over the weekend.
The Trappers opened the tournament with a close 6-4 decision Friday morning against the Clarington Toros. Later that day, the Trappers were blanked 5-0 at the hands of the York Simcoe Express.
On Saturday, the Trappers were tied 2-2 with the Waterloo Wolves, but the Wolves scored four unanswered goals in a 6-2 setback for the Trappers.
In their final round robin game the Trappers fell 7-2 to the Don Mills Flyers.
The Trappers, who sit on top of the NOHL Major Peewee AAA standings, are hoping to go into the Christmas break on a good note as they travel to Sudbury on the 22nd and 23rd to face the Sudbury Wolves.
Minor Peewee
The Greco’s Lakeshore Minor Peewee AAA Trappers travelled down south this past weekend for their third tournament of the season, the Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs 27th Annual Classic Tournament.
In game one, the boys battled hard against the Ottawa Sting and lead 3-2 until the last thirty seconds of play, when the Sting tied it up to end in a 3-3 tie. Jackson Curran was solid in net making some big saves for the tie with Owen Head, Andre Mondoux and Simon Toupin each with a goal.
Later, that day, the Trappers faced the Guelph Gryphons where despite a solid effort they fell 4-2. Grayden Robertson Palmer and Head had the two tallies for the team, while Owan Heroux was in net for the loss.
The Trappers finally found their rhythm early Saturday morning when they faced the Buffalo Regals. The game saw great passing and patience on the power play, along with a solid defence that ultimately led to a 7-1 win. Rowyn St. Louis and Grayden Robertson-Palmer had two goals each with Mondoux, Briir Long and Nick Corbeil adding singles to the scoreboard. Curran was between the pipes for the win.
The quarter finals took place Saturday afternoon where the goaltenders put on a show for the fans. The keeper for Chatham-Kent Cyclones stopped 40 shots with Heroux making highlight reel saves keeping things close until the third period when Chatham took the lead 3-2. With the goalie pulled in the last minute of play, the Trappers poured on the pressure, but unfortunately couldn’t find the back of the net as time ran out. Jacob Jutras and Grayden Robertson-Palmer scored for the red and white Trappers.
While the team did not advance, the coaches were very pleased with the overall effort from the boys as they were successful at executing systems throughout the weekend.
The Trappers take on the Sudbury Wolves this weekend in Verner and Sturgeon Falls for their last series before the Christmas Break.