Oct 17, 2016 | Jennifer Pain | 729 views
Caledonia RipTide off to a Great Start
The newly-named RipTide opened the season in the dreaded Glanbrook Arena against Glanbrook Ranger Blue.
The game remained scoreless in the first period, and for much of the second period until midway through the RipTide netted their first goal of the regular season.....Brenhyn Gavey scored on a fantastic breakaway, fed by Ethan Ferreira and Tyler Dinya. The lead was increased near the end of the 2nd period when Ferreira, from an unlikely angle, sniped a Jakob Kubisch/Gray Kinden feed past the Rangers netminder to move the RipTide to a 2-0 lead.
The RipTide entered the 3rd period with the game in hand, dominating much of the play in the first two periods. The RipTide had numerous scoring opportunities but were not able to find the back of the net again. The Rangers increased the tempo of the game, frustrated at how they were being denied any good scoring opportunities. The game became much more physical, and the red helmets were flying in the 3rd period. Early in, they slipped one past our stellar goalie, Chris Chmiel, and two and a half minutes later were able to tie the game up. The following five minutes of regulation were tense, edge-of-your-seat kind of play, and Chmiel kept us in the game. The RipTide hung on for the tie, and the crowd was excited by this young team and the promising season they have in front of them.
Notable moments in this game were the offensive prowess of defenseman-turned-forward Dustin Hine, the quiet yet determined Isaak Fisher, and the solid defensive unit that assisted Chmiel with the outcome. Also of note, the crowd was supportive and fairly calm - even with no heaters. This may have something to do with the fact that the game was played after most of us are normally in bed, but.....welcome to Bantam level hockey, I suppose!
The RipTide are next in action on Friday night - back in Glanbrook to face the Ranger White - and a Sunday afternoon home game against a strong team from Cayuga.
Go Tide!