With graphite hockey sticks instead of rods, 13 Aikens Lake veterans journeyed south to the quaint burg of St. Pierre, Manitoba and strapped on the skates for the first ever Aikens sponsored team event. Sunday night's main event, which followed up our annual Christmas party on Saturday, was a chance for staffers to reconnect and enjoy a friendly exhibition match vs. the local St. Pierre aces.
Headed by Player-Coach Pit "The-Boss" Turenne, our unpracticed roster took in a short warm-up before the puck dropped. Our Bait and Tackle man, Luke Gnutel, manned the pipes for our team, while the dirty traitor (wink) Marcel Bédard was the man behind the mask for the opposition. Presiding over the rulings on the ice was our talented Charlie Préfontaine.
First period: After a few laborious line changes, the Aikens team settled into a great pace chasing the home team's early lead. We managed to stay out of the penalty box and capitalized on some golden chances to bring the score closer. 5-2 for the bad guys at the end of the first.
Second period: Coach sat us down and gave us a serious talking to: "... I didn't travel all this way just to see you guys give them the game!" He then proceeded to take things into his own hands and scored a pair of beauties back-to-back! This breathed some life into squad. We dropped the clutch and dug deep to bring the game within one goal. 8-7 bad guys at the end of two.
Third period: Then the dam burst. It is with much sorrow we regret to inform the readership that in the third period the wheels fell off the wagon. Firstly a game misconduct was handed out to one of our star players for a tripping call by the Santa-impersonating Zebra. Deflated, the Aikens team tried to muster a come-back but the levee had broken. Unanswered goals by the opposition put the game away, leaving only smiles and a round of handshakes at the end of the game. Final score 15-8 for St. Pierre.
Many thanks to all those who played and the few who cheered us on. Thanks to the St.-Pierre arena management for putting us up in the old barn. With so much fun by all in this trial run, don't be surprised to see more Aikens Lake Hockey action in the not-so-distant future!
Headed by Player-Coach Pit "The-Boss" Turenne, our unpracticed roster took in a short warm-up before the puck dropped. Our Bait and Tackle man, Luke Gnutel, manned the pipes for our team, while the dirty traitor (wink) Marcel Bédard was the man behind the mask for the opposition. Presiding over the rulings on the ice was our talented Charlie Préfontaine.
First period: After a few laborious line changes, the Aikens team settled into a great pace chasing the home team's early lead. We managed to stay out of the penalty box and capitalized on some golden chances to bring the score closer. 5-2 for the bad guys at the end of the first.
