U12 Ravens win Bluewater playoffs

REGIONAL — The Essex Southpoint Ravens U12 hockey team continued their Bluewater League playoffs with a pair of round robin games beginning Thursday night, March 24, when they defeated the Tecumseh Eagles 11-1.

Derek Dunn, Kayden Cook, and Lucas O’Neil each potted a pair, with single goals going to Austin Goudie, Owen Derksen, AJ Youssef, Isaiah Georges and Maxim Pyne.

On Friday night the squad hosted the Erie North Shore Storm and handily defeated them 7-1. Nash Fuerth and Jonathan Recker led the team with two each, while Tyler Thomas, Ben Liebrock and Dunn chipped in one apiece.

This win put the team in first place in their pool and earned them a berth in the semifinals the next day.

On Saturday, the Ravens faced off against a tough Kent Cobras team.

After a scoreless first period, Kent scored midway through the second. But shortly after, while on a two-man advantage, O’Neil passed to Fuerth, who sent the puck out to Dunn, who banged in his own rebound.

With 10 seconds to go in the period, Recker turned in his own zone and threw a long pass up ice to Goudie, who went in alone and fired his shot in low glove to take the lead.

Halfway through the final frame, Youssef found Cook at the blue line. He took a slap shot, and Goudie found and banged in the rebound. Ben Liebrock then took advantage of a giveaway and went in alone, jamming it home to increase the lead. Brayden Foster and O’Neil sent the puck back to Cook, who one-timed his slap shot past the goalie to finish the scoring at 5-1. Kevin Ondic stopped everything thrown his way to earn the win.

On Sunday morning in the Bluewater League finals, the Ravens faced off with the Belle River Canadiens.

Early in the first, O’Neil scored shorthanded on a failed clearing attempt.

In the second period, Fuerth dug the puck out and sent it back to Cook at the line, whose hard wrister beat the goalie low glove to increase the lead to 2-0.

Three minutes later, Georges kept the puck in at the line to Fuerth, who turned and found a wideopen Youssef who ripped his shot past a stunned goaltender.

Foster then chipped the puck to O’Neil, who skated in wide and slid a pass out front to Goudie, who one-timed his shot in to go up 4-0.

Trent Chevalier, though not tested often, made two highlight reel saves late to preserve his shutout in the 4-0 win and made the Ravens the Bluewater League playoff champions.