Brantford Ice Cats tied with the St. Thomas Panthers in U-11 house league action during the Walter Gretzky Tournament on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
Both teams came out slowly to start the first period, keeping the puck in the neutral zone before the Panthers pressed into the offensive. Brantford kept up a strong defense and managed to push the Panthers back into their own territory before St. Thomas forwards applied pressure making several attempts for a breakaway with no luck.
With the game tied 0-0, the Panthers came out strong during the second as they used their speed to stay on the attack in the offensive zone. Just before the seven-minute mark an Ice Cats forward alerted the referees that a Panther defender had been knocked to the ground and didn’t get up. As the play continued, St. Thomas stormed their way into the offensive as Brantford worked to keep up their defense and push the play into the middle.Ice Cats utilized teamwork as they pressured the puck into Panther territory with quick passes and a try for a goal that was shut down by the Panthers goalie and keeping the score 0-0.
The third period started off with each team playing hard to move the puck into the offensive but were unable to break out of the neutral zone for the majority of the first half. Tensions were high as Brantford continued to keep up the defense and tried to push past the middle, but Panthers proved their determination as they tried to make it on the board but were unable to break the tie in the end.
Teams proved their sportsmanship as they banged their sticks in unison for a game well-played.
Ice Cats Cadence Brown and Panthers Christina Bially were awarded the player of the game awards for each of their teams.
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
