Trojans Take Hounds 5 - 3

FTLComm - Tisdale - November 18, 2000

The year 2000 version of the Tisdale "AAA" Trojans had a dramatic start as people reported that the players at this year's evaluation camp were the best the team has had to pick from in years. So far into this young season Coach Mann feels comfortable with their six, six, and one record. Starting out this season this way gives a team a chance to grow develop and peak at the right time ready to cope with the whole season. Last year's team went through the season in a breeze and vanished in the first round of the playoffs. Saturday night it was time for the Trojans to take on the league leading Notre Dame Hounds who have mopping up the rest of the league this year with stellar play. Though the coaches were confident before the game began several fans told me that the Trojans could expect to "get their butts kicked tonight."

Well that is not the way this game played out. The Trojans took to the ice ready to play and they dominated the first period keeping the puck on the Hounds doorstep. Early in the first period the first goal came (above left) with a dandy of a combination goal that beat goalie Ryan Anderson. The second goal came from the rush that more than half way through the period. A trojan seen below battled his way along the boards and got the puck down into the Hounds end centred it up and the score was two nothing. It seemed like the Hounds were a little slow on their feet in the first period as they kept getting themselves bottled up

in their own end and the Trojans simple outskated them. In the dying minutes of the first period the Trojans once again made their fans smile with a great rush that left the Hounds standing on dull skates and the puck in the net (as seen in the picture at the bottom of the page) The second period was an entirely new picture. The Hounds came out of the dressing room with a desire to kill and within three minutes had put two quick goals on the score board and we had a three to two hockey game. But that burst of energy seemed to fizzle into

a rather bump and grind, shoot and chase affair for the next seventeen minutes of hockey. There were a few penalties to both teams but it was uninspired business and the last five minutes of the second period was as dull as basketball with the teams parading back and forth from one end of the rink to the other. However, at the end of the second period the Trojans were still leading the game with that slim one point lead. The third period was a mix of periods one and two. The trojans played much better than they had in the second and the Hounds kept up with them. But mid way through the third Tisdale had better stuff. Captain Ryan Patterson and his line outhustled and out moved the Hounds and put up

goal number four and with about six minutes left the score went to five to three as the Hounds were able to get one in the net. So the third period was the most balanced one of the game but the last five minutes were pretty dreary as shoot and chase once more took over the game

The real story of the game was the second period when the Hound were fired up and blasted relentless at the Trojan net only to be thwarted by the hot goal tending of Ryan Senft who kept the Trojans in the game. The pictures of this game are from the video tape of the game which is available from FASTER THAN LIGHT COMMUNICATIONS for $15.00. Look for future coverage of the Trojans in upcoming editions of Ensign. FTLComm will also be posting the 2000-2001 edition of the Pasquia hockey league web site in the next day or so.