Major bantam Hawks clobber Cambridge foes

In a game where seating wasn't required, the standing room-only crowd was treated to a spectacular display of determination and teamwork as the Caledon major bantam select Blackhawks overpowered Cambridge 4-1 recently.

A slow start saw the Hawks hemmed in their own end by a very aggressive Cambridge squad, but strong defence and superb goaltending by Joseph Viola kept Cambridge at bay. Mid-way through the first period you could see the tide turn as the Hawks began to take control of the game. Solid body checks dished out by Anthony Gasbarre, Harry Gaebler and Vincent Maiolino obliterated any offensive opportunities that Cambridge tried to mount. Warren The Cruiser Stroud roamed the neutral zone pulverizing any and all Cambridge players that ventured too close to the puck.

The scoreless deadlock was broken in the dying seconds of the first when Gaebler rushed the puck down the ice and slipped it past the Cambridge netminder just as the buzzer sounded to end the period.

An action-packed second period kept the crowd pressed to the glass as both teams desperately tried to score the next goal. With four shutouts this year goaltender Viola as determined not to surrender. His quick reflexes and heads-up play kept Cambridge off the board. The other end of the rink was proving to be just as miserly as wave after wave of attacking Blackhawks peppered the cage. Gaebler's goal, however, remained the only tally on the scoreboard.

The third period saw a goaltending change as Torrey Glendinning took over for Viola. The home team finally solved the puzzle of the Cambridge strategy, and went on the offensive. Picking up an errant pass, the line of Stroud, Kyle Sammut and Michael Bellisario attacked and were rewarded when Bellisario found the back of the net. This goal propelled the Hawks into high gear.

The dynamic duo of Maiolino and Damian Commisso put on a display of puck control that stunned the opposition's bench when Maiolino slammed home Commisso's pass, to put the Hawks up 3-0. The Cambridge squad tried to get back in the game but were again turned away, this time by Glendinning and his defencemen Justin Lollino and Zachary Moszynski.

At this point Cambridge was barely staying ahead of disaster, but late in the game disaster struck as Robert Keszeg hung their goalie out to dry unassisted. A last minute hail Mary rush slipped by Glendinning and stole his shutout in an otherwise flawless game.