Photo by Sheila Wieben The Mariners—a team of 16 kids from Cook and Lake counties—after their victory over a tough Two Harbors team. (L-R, front) Nathan Mealey and Troy LeBlanc. (L-R first row, kneeling) Frankie Miller, Daniel Ahrendt, Corey Napper, Justin Ketola. (L-R, second row) Carter LeBlanc, Jack Wieben, Caleb Dilley, Marcus Small. (L-R, back row) Coach Mark LeBlanc, Spencer Ketola, Brandon Sequin, Nathan Bauck, Coach Dave Dilley, Lars Scannell, Jamie Wick, Dylan Deschampe. (Not pictured: Coach Mike Ketola)
TheNew Year has brought new energy to a group of 16 hockey players at their home tournament in Silver Bay January 2-3.
The peewees started this cold January weekend by taking on the team from Proctor. The solid defensive playing by Nathan Bauck, Troy LeBlanc, Carter LeBlanc and Justin Ketola as well as outstanding goal tending by Corey Napper kept the Rails from scoring any goals in the first two periods.
Despite some breakaways and great passing plays by the forward line of Jack Wieben, Lars Scannell and Frankie Miller, the Mariners had yet to put one between the pipes. Thescore was still 0 – 0 after two periods of play and it was anybody’s game until early in the third period when Dylan Deschampe hit a one-timer in front of the net off a pass from forwards Brandon Sequin and Nathan Mealey.
The Mariners were on top and the adrenaline began to show. Later in the third, Proctor scored a power play goal and tied it up. Mariner forwards Jamie Wick, Spencer Ketola and Caleb Dilley continued to work hard and it looked like this game was headed for overtime until the final second of the game and a hard slap shot from a Proctor defenseman sealed their fate. It was a tough last-second loss for these Peewees but a huge improvement in play was shown overall and it gave the spark the boys needed on Sunday afternoon.
Goalie Daniel Ahrendt and injured skater Marcus Small fired skaters up in the box and they were more than ready to take on the tough team from Two Harbors. Like the day before, Bauck, Scannell and the LeBlanc cousins were strong on defense with solid checks in the corners and great vision on the ice. All the forwards were checking well and handling the puck. They were doing an excellent job in the Two Harbors zone with shots on goal by Dilley, the Ketola brothers, Wieben and Miller.
In the second period, Two Harbors skater Quaid Cavallin scored on a breakaway. Our mighty Mariners did not give up and Wick answered back with a blistering shot through the pipes to tie the game up late in the period.
The kids were excited and ready for a victory. The aggressive play of J. Ketola paid off late in the third with a goal off a nice pass from Dilley. Napper had a few amazing stops and as the clock wound down and Two Harbors pulled their goalie hoping to tie it up, Mariner forward Mealey sent the puck out of the zone and—five… four…three…two…one… Mariners win!
This season there are 19 Cook County youths playing various levels of hockey in Silver Bay. Thefolks down the shore have been more than welcoming and supportive of our local skaters and the Blue Line Club of Silver Bay is a top-notch organization. Next time you’re headed up or down the shore, stop by the Rukavina Arena in Silver Bay and check out a hockey game!
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