Newman nets a hat trick as minor bantam Hawks take first playoff round

With the regular season out of the way, the Caledon Hawks minor bantam AE team has had to focus on the OMHA playdowns.

The team's first game was against the Oakville Rangers. As could be imagined, the game was sizzling hot with shots and saves.

The first period was scoreless, as was the second. The third had both teams ignited and on fire, but it was the Hawks who got the first goal of the game. The puck traveled from Jonathan Dunn, over to Nick Wheeler and then to Michael Newman, who took the goalie by surprise to score.

Forty-five seconds later the Rangers hit the scoreboard. The shots were fast and furious but Dylan Farrow stopped them time and time again. The period ended in a tie, meaning overtime.

Seven minutes into the fourth period, the Oakville team would finally get the puck past the goalie to win the game. Coaches awarded Farrow player of the game and Newman was named the hardest worker.

The second game of the series was out in Flamborough. By the end of the first period, the Hawks were down by three. The players did all they could to close the gap in the second period, with goals coming from Michael Bozzo and Wheeler and assists coming from Dunn and goalie Peter Coghill, who made some super saves as well.

The Hawks kept coming on strong in the third, but only managed to get one more. The goal was from John Sheridan and the assist was thanks to Lucas Guadagnini. The game ended 4-3. Coaches named Chris Sabaziotis player of the game and Leo Labine the hardest worker.

Feb. 3 saw the Hawks once again playing the Rangers.

The first period remained scoreless. During the second, Jake Mottershaw, Labine and Scott Foley were unable to capitalize on some huge scoring chances as the Rangers intercepted each shot. The Rangers did however, score two for themselves. During the third period, the Rangers seemed to grab even more momentum, scoring yet another. With five minutes to go Bozzo got the Hawks on the board with the assist going to Christian DeMarco. With about two minutes to go, the Hawks made a gutsy move and pulled their goalie. The Rangers managed to take advantage and take the score up a notch to win 4-1. Coaches designated DeMarco player of the game and Bozzo the hardest worker.

Feb. 8, the team hosted the Hespler Shamrocks. The Hawks hit the scoreboard first. The puck went from Newman to Wheeler and over to Tyler Begley who nailed it into the net. With 36 seconds left on the clock, the Hawks showed Hespler who was boss by firing in another. This time it was Bozzo who got the goal and Dunn and DeMarco who assisted.

The second period was scoreless, as was the third, right to the bitter end, when each team scored. With 30 seconds to go, the opposition broke Coghill's shutout bid. With 22 seconds to go, Bozzo got his second of the night, assisted this time by Jacob VanVliet. The boys from Caledon grabbed the 3-1 win. Coaches awarded Coghill player of the game honours and DeMarco was the hardest worker.

The next night, the Hawks headed to Hespler to do even more damage to the Shamrocks. Newman opened up the scoring with his first of the night. The helpers on this one were Wheeler and VanVliet.

Early in the second, the Shamrocks got their first and only point of the night and within a minute, Wheeler got one of his own, assisted by Newman. Another minute went by, and this time it was Tyler Goertzen who hit the scoreboard, assisted by Guadagnini. Before the fame ended, Newman aced another by the Heslper goalie with a little help from Begley and Guadagnini.

At the nine minute mark in the third, Newman became the star of the night as he hit the jackpot with a hat trick. Helping him out on this feat was Begley and VanVliet.

The win went to the Caledon Hawks with a score of 5-1. Coaches named Newman player of the game and Begley the hardest worker.

The Hawks played their final game of six Feb. 11. This one was against Flamborough. The first period was once again scoreless as the teams got to know each other.

The second frame was a different story, as the Hawks managed to come up with four goals. Goal scorers were Guadagnini, Newman and Sheridan, who notched a pair. Sharing the assists were Guadagnini and Goertzen (who each got two) and VanVliet.

The third period sealed the win, as the Hawks slammed two more into the Flamborough net. Wheeler got on the scoreboard and Guadagnini got on for the second time that night. Making the assists were Newman and Kozluk. The winning team was the Caledon Hawks, by a score of 6-1. Coaches named Dale Reinhart player of the game and Guadagnini the hardest worker. The series ended with the Hawks taking three of the six games.

In previous action, the Hawks and their long-time rivals, the Brampton Battalion took each other on Nov. 15 at Mayfield arena.

As always, both teams came flying out of gates at the sound of the whistle.

Brampton got the first shot on net, but it was saved as Mottershaw intercepted the speeding bullet. Shortly after that, the Battalion got a quick break away, but thanks to the long stick of Reinhart, the puck was poked away. At 6:21 the Hawks got the first goal, as the pass went from Mottershaw to Zach Worth and finally between the posts.

The Hawks continued to monopolize the game in the second period. Sheridan and Dunn both had numerous shots on net, but couldn't cash in on any deals. At 6:40, however, the crowd was witness to superb passing from Foley over to Mottershaw and then off the stick of Bozzo to score the second goal. Minutes later, Sheridan's hard work paid off as he made it 3-0, after receiving a pass from Guadagnini. Within seconds of the period ending, the visiting team grabbed two quick goals; their only points of the night.

Midway through the third period, Bozzo got his second of the game, with the assist going to Foley. Caledon's final goal of the night came from Sabaziotis and was assisted by Reinhart.

The Battalion left broken hearted, as the Hawks took home the 5-2 win. The coaches named Guadagnini player of the game and Dunn the hardest worker.

Nov. 23 saw the Hawks host the Fergus Highlanders at Mayfield.

The Fergus boys are known for their fierce shots on net, but they were no match for Hawk goalie Farrow, who was focused and sharp between the pipes from the first whistle to the last buzzer.

There were only three goals in the game. The first came in the first period from the Caledon team, as Lucas Trevisan fed the puck through the pipes of the opposing net. Mottershaw and Guadagnini were the helpers on the ice. The next goal came in the second period, but this time from the Fergus team. The third marker was in the third, when a pass from Sabaziotis allowed Dunn to hurl one past the Highlanders.

The boys from Caledon took home the 2-1 win. Coaches awarded John Dunn player of the game honours and Sheridan was named the hardest worker.

The following day had the side playing in Caledon East against the Cambridge Hawks. There was no doubt the Hawks would win, but would it be Caledon or Cambridge?

Early in the first period, the Caledon team scored first with a goal from Wheeler that was assisted by Newman. The Cambridge team tied it up and then took another for the lead. Foley feverishly tried to get his teammates motivated to tie the game and that he did, as he scored the team's second goal of the night (unassisted).

That was one of the rare times that the Caledon team took home a loss. Coaches named VanVliet player of the game and Lucas Trevisan the hardest worker.