Keene Wolverines defeated the Brantford Ice Cats 4-0 in U-13 B action during the 41st Walter Gretzky tournament on Friday, February 24, 2023.
The Wolverines started off with a bang as they scored a goal in the first 15 seconds of the game and continued to dominate the play as they occupied the Ice Cats zone. Brantford carried on trying to push into the offensive zone, but the Wolverines’ speed had the Ice Cats skating back to keep up the defense. Brantford continued to apply pressure as they made it into the Wolverines zone during the last four minutes of the opening period but couldn’t capitalize on the offensive attack. The Wolverines turned it around and scored in the last 33 seconds making it a 2-0 lead by the end of the first.
The game moved into the second and Brantford came out strong to start but received a minor penalty just after the eight-minute mark. The Wolverines made two good attempts to score but couldn’t capitalize on the power-play. Brantford saw themselves keeping up their defense as the Wolverines maintained their position in the offensive zone before scoring another goal in the last two minutes of the second.
With the score at 3-0, the Wolverines started off the third by continuing to apply pressure and quickly scored their fourth goal within the first three minutes. The Ice Cats continued to fight back as they battled in the neutral zone before moving into Wolverine territory and trying for a few attempts to score but couldn’t secure the goal. The Wolverines spent the last two minutes on the attack before closing out the game with the 4-0 win.
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.
