A bye through the first round; an extremely hard fought second round that saw the team push the series to six games; and most recently, a three game series sweep over hard hitting Norwich, has put the Midget Reps one step closer to an OMHA Championship.
After a wake-up call in the second round of OMHA Playdowns
against Embro, the Cayuga Stars knew they could not take another opponent
lightly. That is exactly the attitude the team brought into the Quarter Final
round against Southern Counties opponent, Norwich. Coach Kevin Smelser had this
to say, “ Basically the kids brought it. They buckled down and realized this is
playoff time.”
Game one was played in Norwich just over one week ago. A back
and fourth game found Cayuga ahead on the score board multiple times throughout
the game. But just as Cayuga would get some momentum, Norwich would come back
and score one of their own. This pattern continued throughout the game which
required overtime to solve the match. With minutes remaining Daniel Medeiros
put the team on his back, skated down the ice and let a shot go that found the
back of the net.
With game two played back in Cayuga, the crowd would be a
factor. “Our fans are amazing,” explained Travis Bell, the captain for Cayuga. “We
feed off the energy in the building.”
Game two would be another hard hitting battle of hockey. Excellent
play from all three lines would prove to be the deciding factor in this game.
Cayuga went on to win game two by a score of 3-1.
Not wanting to extend this series any further, the Midget
Reps were able to close it out in a three game sweep. The third game in the
series was fast paced, and rough. Again, all three lines including the Power
Play and Penalty Kill units were buzzing up and down the ice. “The kids work
ethic is at an all time high right now,” said Smelser. “They really understand
the opportunity that is staring them in the face.” Cayuga eliminated Norwich
with a final score of 6-3.
With a place waiting for them in the Semi Finals, the Cayuga Stars
are waiting to see who will be their next opponent, Southwest Bullets or the Ridgetown
Rebels. Continue to watch www.cayugaminorhockey.ca
for details on the next series. Fan and Community support will be needed so please spread the word.