A well coached and tenacious Highland Storm team came to
play but were stone walled by the Stars.
After winning the first two games, the Stars were back on home ice after a long road trip to Halliburton with hopes of ending the 5 game series in front of their home town fans.
The game started at a slow pace with both team nervous to make any mistakes. As the game opened up the Stars found themselves in the offensive zone playing strong and driving to the net, forcing the Storm goalie to make some big saves.
The Stars opened the scoring in the first period and scored two more in the second and third. From there it was shut down hockey as they suffocated any attempt by the Storm to generate any offence. The Stars gave up a shorthanded goal due to a bad bounce in the other teams end but overall the defensive play by the entire Stars team was amazing.
With seconds left in the game and victory in sight the Storm was pressing hard in the Stars end. They pulled their goalie for one last attempt on the net. The Stars needed to keep their confidence and momentum going for the next round and sensing some confusion on the bench Coach Steve called a time out to regroup and finish the game strong. The Stars pulled it off and swept a strong Highland Storm team that dominated their division all season.
Looking back at the beginning of the season the scouts and hockey pundits labelled the Stars as having limited talent. Their regular season record reflected that, but talent can never replace sheer determination and grit, something the coaches knew they had plenty of.
Midway through the season the coaching staff focused on the game of hockey versus cone work and skating drills. Their hard work and focus began to pay off as the Stars started winning games, most impressively against the first and second place teams in the GBMHL A division. They started to believe in themselves and their coaches and now they are being rewarded for it. For that reason the entire team earned the Wasaga Warrior of the Game on this day. Great job Stars.
The Stars will face the winners from Eastern Ontario in the finals... Go Stars !