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NobleKing Knights still in the hunt for the titles




By Jeff Doner
The NobleKing Knights continued to chug along in their quest for playoff supremacy last week, with multiple teams still in the hunt for championship titles.
After dispatching the Cobourg Cougars last week, the minor peewee A Knights opened the OMHA final series against the Grimsby Kings on Saturday.
The Knights dropped game one by a score of 2-1 on the road and returned home for game two to a packed barn in Nobleton.
The Knights came out hot in the first period, but it was Grimsby who scored first on a breakaway chance.
By the end of the period, Grimsby held a 3-0 lead over the Knights, but they refused to give up and pressed harder in the final 30 minutes.
Just two minutes into the second period, the Knights' hard work finally broke through on the power play when Anthony Critelli scored to shift some of the momentum back to the home team.
With some new energy, the Knights continued to work hard and won battled in the offensive zone. Eventually that again paid off with another power play goal to make it 3-2. A slap shot from the point was kicked out in front of the net right to Knights' forward Lucas Ceccarelli made no mistake on finishing the opportunity.
That set the stage for a big third period for the Knights, but before they had a chance to tie things up, Grimsby stung back and regained a two-goal lead.
The Knights still refused to give up, but couldn't generate any more offence and Grimsby added an insurance empty net goal, which ended the score at 5-2.
Knights' head coach Tom Diceman said the score wasn't a good indicator of how well his team actually played.
“We just finished telling them that we would dominate for five minutes, then give the puck away and they've got two or three guys we are really good at putting the puck in the net and that's killing us,” he said. “So if we can maintain our composure and not give them two on ones and one on the none we can even up the series.”
Another positive for the Knights was their ability to generate offence with the power play, something that Diceman said the team has put a lot of work into.
He also said what his team has to do to come out on top of a must-win game three is simple.
“Composure is key,” he said without hesitation. “Believing in yourself and believing in your teammates and knowing that we were all over them. We were on top of them and then we've just got to keep the puck in their end.”
NobleKing Knights president Danny Macedo was there to take in the game was said he has no doubt the team will put their best effort in for game three.
“I think the boys are playing well,” he said. “In all honestly, I think they have had a couple shifts where they weren't mentally in the game and maybe overwhelmed with the crowd that we have here, but overall I think they're playing well. They're playing their positions and systems and it's not over.”
The minor A peewee Knights will now take to the road for game three in Grimsby on Saturday and if they win, game four will be in Nobleton on Sunday.

Other divisions

In other Knights playoff news, the novice A club had a great season come to an end on Saturday when they were downed by Orillia.
The novice LL2 team begins their playoff series with the Schomberg Red Wings on Thursday, while the novice LL3 team has faced off against Thornton for a playoff series which began Tuesday.
After a game one loss to Bradford in Nobleton on Friday night, the peewee LL1 team will be looking to bounce back in the series this week.
The bantam LL 1 and 2 teams are also in the midst of playoff battles. The LL1 team kicks off their series against Richmond Hill this week and the LL2 team continues their fight against the Beeton Stingers.
Last but not least, the minor midget LL1 squad will head north on Highway 27 for a matchup with the Schomberg Red Wings on Saturday night to continue that series.
Macedo it has been great to watch so many NobleKing teams have success in this year's playoffs.
“It's small town hockey and we still have five or six local league teams still in the championship round, we have our minor peewee in the OMHA finals, so it's great,” he said. “It's a testament to small town hockey and having a tight community with great players who are passionate about hockey.”
For schedules and more information on NobleKing Knights hockey, visit www.noblekinghockey.com
Excerpt: The NobleKing Knights continued to chug along in their quest for playoff supremacy last week, with multiple teams still in the hunt for championship titles.
Post date: 2014-03-18 15:08:00
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