Niagara-on-the-Lake vs. Welland (11/28)

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Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara Credit Union Wolves vs. Welland Rose City Pizzeria Tigers (Major Midget A)

The Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara Credit Union Wolves soundly defeated the host Welland Rose City Pizzeria Tigers 12-3 Wednesday evening in Major Midget A action at the Welland Main Arena.

The Wolves fired 51 shots at the Welland net during the victory, thanks in part to a short-staffed Tigers lineup, who dressed only 11 skaters on the evening. Both goaltenders each saw action with starting netminder #30 Doug Pirson facing 26 shots in his nearly twenty-seven minutes of play and allowing seven goals, while his counterpart #1 surrendered six goals on 25 shots in his 23 minutes of relief.

The Tigers first goal, at 10:30 of the opening period, which tied the game at one on the powerplay, came from #7 Matt Michael on an assist from #8 Dylan Simon. The Tigers gave up a breakway chance to Wolves #17, which he converted at 13:39 of the first, on a great breakout pass from #6 for a 2-1 Wolves lead.

The Wolves broke this game open with three quick tallies in the second period at 2:23, 2:37 and 3:21 before scoring another quick bunch of goals at 11:24,11:50, and 12:18 of the middle frame. #7 Michael would record his second goal of the night, from #11 Jordan Hopkins, with only 26.9 seconds remaining in the period to make it 8-2 heading into the intermission.

Welland’s final tally would come after another Niagara-on-the-Lake goal just over five minutes in, and would be scored by #18 Mike Valeriote from #15 Matt DiMarcantonio at 6:12. The Wolves would pour in three more before the game was done, finding the back of the net at 8:10, 8:33 and 16:21.

The Tigers power-play converted once on five opportunities, while the Wolves were 1-for-4 with the man-advantage.

What is interesting to note is that this Tigers team has previously beaten the Wolves 3-2 this season while on the road. This proves that the team can play with them when it is at full strength and a full team effort is given. The same is true of their previous games against the Lincoln Blades, where they were crushed 10-1 and 14-1 in their home games but defeated the Blades in Lincoln by a 3-1 score in between those two blowout games. All this team needs to turn around their season is more consistency. There is enough talent on this team to compete with anyone in this league and they just need to show that they want the win more than the others each night. Despite being short-staffed last night the Tigers produced a very good effort, even when the game began to get out of reach, which shows plenty of character.

Both Welland goaltenders had an off-night, uncharacteristically allowing several soft goals, which may have dampened the spirits of the rest of the team a little bit, but it is clear that the team needs to do a better job on defense in front of them by blocking more shots and making sure all players are covered when in front of the net. If they can keep the opposition shooting from the perimeter, they can certainly count on their goaltending tandem to stop the majority of the shots facing them. While the Tigers attempted to match the physical play of the Wolves last evening, the bigger Wolves players won most of those one-on-one battles. #18 Michael Valeriote may be the smallest on the team but he is not afraid to go into the corners and battle the opposing players. This tenacity lead to his goal last night, and if more of his teammates followed his example on a more consistent basis I believe that the Tigers would be much more successful. Here’s hoping that they turn things around the rest of the season.

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Filed under 2007-08 Rose City Pizzeria Major Midget A Tigers, Sports Writing/Commentary

Tags: 2007-08 Rose City Pizzeria Major Midget A Tigers, Niagara-on-the-Lake Wolves, Sports Writing/Commentary