Lightning down Outlaws - Division Champs!, News, Bantam A, 2010-2011 (Saugeen Maitland Lightning)

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Mar 27, 2011 | Howie Pruden | 973 views
Lightning down Outlaws - Division Champs!
Saugeen won in dramatic fashion today in Chatham 2-0 to win the South West Division. The Lightning move into Championship weekend Saturday April 2 2011 in Oshawa for two games with a chance to be the League Champions. With 44 teams in the League Saugeen is now one of the top 4 teams.

With a chance to clinch the title at home Saugeen hosted Chatham at Howich on Saturday. The Lightning came out flat in the first period and the Outlaws scored 2 goals in the last few minutes of the first period to stake a 2 goal lead. Rebecca Ropp sustained a lower body injury early on and had to play through the game in discomfort.

Sam Pruden opened the scoring in the 2nd for Saugeen with her 5th of the year when the puck was cycled to her in front of the net and she went top shelf cutting the lead to one. Great work from Reagan Kaufman and Ally Spielmacher who dug the puck out of the corner to get the assists.

Chatham regained the 2 goal lead early in the third. With 1 minute to play Jaime Van Loon carried the puck deep into Chatham's end and fired a shot top corner to cut the lead to 1. A great rush from Jaime who had a strong game and assisted from Cassidy Mason and Rebecca Rier. Saugeen could not complete in comeback and lost 3-2 sending the series back to Chatham Sunday for the final deciding game.

Game 3: Winner goes to League Championship - loser home! Game three started tentative for both teams with play back and forth in the first but period one ending in no score. Second period the play was more intense with good puck battles and chances on each end. The score remained knotted at 0 after 2 periods despite a disallowed goal that Saugeen appeared to take the lead on. A heated discussion arose but to no avail.

With Saugeen in the locker at break the coaching staff challenged the girls to come out with their best effort of the year and in 15 minutes they could be playoff champs. The girls came out fired and put the play to Chatham. Reagan Kaufman opened the scoring of the game on a play that the line of Kaufman, Spielmacher and Pruden created by forechecking and pressuring the puck creating a turnover in the opposing end. Reagan stripped the defenceman  and skated to the circle and fired a shot over the shoulder of the goal tender to give Saugeen the lead.

Chatham turned the pressure on and after a couple of shifts where Saugeen could not get the puck out of the zone and Rebecca making many excellent saves Coach Bill called a time out with 5 minutes to play. The girls regrouped and Bill reminded them of the plan and to relax and play hockey. Saugeen stepped up and kept the puck in Chatham's end with good pressure on the puck. Chatham pulled the goaltender and called time out. Reagan battled hard for a puck beating the Outlaw and sending Tori Terpstra up the side for a empty net goal at 24 second mark to cement the win.

Reagan Kaufman played her best game of the year with a goal and a assist and tremendous effort. Rebecca Ropp played excellent stopping all 25 shots for her 10th shutout of the year in the biggest game of the year despite an injury.

Hats off to an excellent Chatham team who played hard and clean with great sportsmanship. Good luck in provincials.

The coaches and staff of the Saugeen Bantam A's are extremely proud of the girls .They stepped up when challenged to dig deep and come up with their best effort and won in a total team effort. Congratulations girls on a job well done. Enjoy the moment

Now let's finish the job Saturday and win the Championship!
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