Blackhawks raise roof and thwart Snipers in a thriller last Saturday

Last Saturday saw the Bolton Blackhawk minor bantam Select hockey team neatly thwart the offensive efforts of the Brampton Snipers, in inter-city play.

The Snipers came out shooting, which earned them the first goal of the game in the first minute of play. The Blackhawks returned with a spirited scramble around the Brampton net. Lucas Trevisan and Daniel Cafagna exchanged pingpong pokes, followed by Trevor Moore deftly scooting around the back of the net and wrapping it in. This seemed to deflate the the Snipers. The three soon teamed up once again, and Moore got the second goal from the high slot during a power play. It took the wind out from under the wings of the Snipers for the rest of the period.

At the opening of the second period, the Snipers came out refueled. Blackhawks' defenceman Michael Rybka was all over the offense, skating fast and poking hard. Bolton was down one line of defense, and the Snipers managed a second goal from the slot, with a pass from behind the net, early on.

Determined not to be outdone, Bolton's team efforts cemented to set this game on a sure path to success.

On a pass from Zachary Worth, Lucas D'Acri collected a wraparound marker from the goal line. The rest of the period was characterized by awesome defensive efforts. There were defencemen Iain Wong, with timely blocking and sweet passing, and Mitchell Sheppard poking back and lifting the puck out past the blue line. All this supported with strong forechecking by Worth, Trevisan and Matteo Palombi. The second period ended 3-2 for Bolton.

At the opening of the third period, the Snipers once again came out strong. It was a power play for them this time, which resulted in an early goal, tying up the game. Trevisan returned with a breakaway, however the Brampton goalie managed to block his shot. The same actions were mirrored by Brampton, with Bolton goalie Drew Eden blocking the shot.

Fierce back and forth play continued throughout the period. Bolton forwards displayed their fast, accurate passing game, notably by Moore and Trevisan, as well as the timely penalty-killing efforts of Cory Graham. With only 25 seconds left in the game, Graham passed to Wong, who pinched in and lifted a backhand shot. Brampton blocked it, however, and a scramble ensued. Palombi passed it up from behind the net. Cafagna then scooped it up, and with one second showing on the clock, the puck sailed over the Brampton goalie's head. It was the shot indeed raised the roof, as the Bolton hometown crowd leapt from the benches beaming and cheering.

Nearing the end of the regular season, the Bolton team is in a tight battle for the league's top position. They're in second place, just behind the Brampton Rockets and in front of the Brampton Bombers. It will surely be a lively playoff season, as the Blackhawks were the champions of the Agincourt tournament last month, where the Bombers were the finalists.