The Brick Novice Hockey Tournament at West Edmonton Mall: Day 5

By Max Rausch

EDMONTON — After a valiant fight on both sides, neither the Toronto Bulldogs (3-1-2) nor the California 2001s (1-3-1) was able to topple the other at the Brick Invitational Novice Hockey Tournament at West Edmonton Mall Friday morning, resulting in a 2-2 tie.

But assistant coach of the Bulldogs, Vincent Laise, said he’s not disappointed with the result.

“I think we’re happy, obviously you have to be,” said Laise.  “It’s a tough tournament; there aren’t any weak teams here. It’s a positive any way you look at it.”

Each team was at the others’ throat for the whole first period. The Bulldogs’ forwards controlled the puck but couldn’t get past California’s defensive line or goalie, Ethan Lamohn.  Likewise, despite some bold shots from California, most notably after a daring breakaway by Dominique Petrie, neither side could light up the scoreboard.

The scoreboard would remain stagnant for the first half of the second period, as California and Toronto continued to trade off the puck. Yet the Bulldogs started showing signs of recklessness as Tyler Amaral was called for tripping two minutes in.

Ten minutes in the second, Jack Hughes finally netted a goal off a skillful pass from Anthony Aguanno. While Toronto’s confidence spiked, so did California’s determination. Their defensive line was able to stave off further assaults for the rest of the period.

Going into the third, whether by exhaustion or desperation, the Bulldogs plays became sloppier. Dylan Abbamont was called out less than a minute in for tripping, providing an opportunity for California’s Cameron York to score on the powerplay.

“We did a lot of small things, and I think our energy level was low due to the time of the game,” said Laise.

It would be déjà vu six minutes later, when Jack Hughes was called out for another tripping penalty—the team’s fourth of the game. The 2001s wasted no time capitalizing on the opportunity, with a powerplay goal by Jonathan Panisa seconds later.

Despite the sustained efforts on all sides, no one was able to break the tie before the last bell sounded.

2001s head coach Craig Johnson said after the game, that he is proud of his team’s attitude.

“Our team’s played hard the whole tournament. We just haven’t had the bounces go our way,” said Johnson. “Every game is competitive; every game has been great for these kids. You see the pace and the level of play, and our kids have really enjoyed it.”