Northern Elite Wins Silver, Beats Regency but Loses to Shores A

In a game that started out a defensive battle, the Northern Elite Lions fought tooth and nail for every possession and stopped three consecutive 6-5 attempts by Regency in the first 3 minutes. With multiple exclusions called on Trevor Raisch in the first two possessions, the Lions had to switch up their defense to a more dynamic approach which forced Peter Berquist to be prepared for shots from all over. He was ready for them all. With the scored tied 0-0 at the end of the first, Regency was first to strike on a counter attack from the left side that was fired cross cage high that left nothing to be desired. A terrific shot. On the ensuing possession, Brandon Plihal found Jace Blazensky on the cross court pass and Jace mimicked a hesitation shot then buried a skip shot and it was perfectly placed underneath the goalies arm on the near side to even the score 1-1. Almost the exact same shot from the lefty side occurred for Regency two possessions later to put them up 2-1 with a few minutes left in the half. Again, on the very next possession, Berquist threw the ball deep down the lefty flat and Matt Baszucki picked it up and fired across the pool to hit Brandon Plihal on a back door drive and all he had to do was redirect the ball into the open net to even the score again 2-2. The half ended 2-2 and the Lions were beginning to gain momentum. It was not until the start of third that Northern Elite really started to push the defense. With Peter Berquist blocking just about everything coming his way, the Lions were able to press the perimeter and counter out hard which allowed for a multitude of ejections and man advantages for Northern Elite. Led by George Archbold drawing four ejections, on counters and the Lions converting on all but one of them. The nail in the coffin for Regency was when Brandon Plihal posted up inside and manage to flip the ball right over the goalie's head and into the back of the net. From there, the game was close, 5-2, but felt more like 10-2 as Regency stopped countering and their defense seemed to crack. Northern Elite pressed on in the fourth quarter with goals from Jed Rosen and Quinn Vitakis highlighting the depth of the team and their ability to continue to press the issue. The final score ended with a 10-2 victory for the Lions, sending them to the finals against a fierce Shores A team. While Northern Elite kept the game close for a period of time, much closer than any game Shores had encountered yet, but the size, speed and fundamental prowess that Shores displayed proved to be too much for the Northern Elite Lions to handle. Never the less the Lions fought to the very end and showed a lot perseverance to just stay in the game mentally. Could not be more impressed with the results and overall performance of the Northern Elite team. A number of parents and referees alike complimented them on their style, the respectfulness and approach to the game as they wore their uniforms proudly to every match. Go Lions!