2nd Aikens hockey game

     If you'll remember back to December, Aikens put together a team to play an exhibition hockey game.  It was the first time we had put a team together and it was a really great experience to be able to team up for something away from the lake.  It was clear that we have a lot of good athletes on the current and past staff, as well as in our volunteer crew! We decided to play a second game.  This time, we  played against the Maynard family team.  The Maynards are comprised of all of Julie's cousins and uncles, and they are a skilled bunch!  Many of them are playing high level senior and junior hockey all over Manitoba.  They are a perennial powerhouse in the St-Malo family hockey tournament, and this game was the perfect warm-up for a team that is a favorite to win it all. The game started out with a very fast pace!  The Maynard team was rolling over 3 lines while the Aikens team had 2 lines.  The Aikens team iced the following roster: Goal - Marcel Defense - Pit, Jesse, DG, Charlie, Yves Forwards - Seabass, Muscles, Luke, Chris L, Tim, and Leo M. We learned in December that while we were good at scoring (7 goals), we were much better at letting goals in (15 against!).  This night was a bit different, however.  The action was non-stop and both goaltenders were coming up with huge saves... especially Mars for the Aikens team.  After going down by a goal 15 minutes into the first, the Aikens team responded with two quick ones (Luke and Chris) to go ahead.  The Maynard team did tie it up and after the first period it was tied at 2 apiece.     The second period started off just as quickly as the first ended.  The teams exchanged goals (Muscles and Chris with his 2nd scored for our side) and after 40 minutes of play the Maynards had the lead at 5-4.  The pace never slowed down, although the fatigue on the Aikens side was starting to show. The final period is one that we won't go into too much detail about, for good reason!  Final score 11-5 for the Maynards.  Luke got his 2nd of the night for the Aikens side.  The Maynard's youth and speed certainly helped them blow the game open in the final frame.  Despite our pleas about teaching them how to fish properly in exchange for a bit of a slow-down on the game, they kept coming in waves!  It was quite an enjoyable and light-hearted affair.  Drained of energy and hydration, those post-game beers really hit the spot! All in all, it was a great time and we are planning to host these two games every year.   We hope the Maynard team is able to win that elusive A-side championship this weekend.  Their quest starts on Wednesday - when they will meet up with a team that has Mars and Jesse on their roster!  Good luck boys!