The New Orleans Pizza Peewee Reps kicked off the 2012-13 campaign hosting Tavistock in exhibition play on Sept. 30th.
Jacob McPhee opened the season scoring with a power-play marker assisted by Judd Walker and Ryan Murray to put the home squad up 1-0 nearing the end of the first period. Early in the second frame Tavistock would reply with a 4 on 4 equalizer. Still in the second period and short-handed Curtis Lockhart put Mitchell ahead once again with help from Quaid Austin. Three minutes later Austin would make it 3-1 with Stephen Bird and Reid Ramseyer drawing assists. Tavistock would regroup after the intermission and come back with two markers to end the contest in a 3-3 draw.
League play was to begin October 12
with with the team making the hike north to Saugeen Shores. But word came midday of equipment problems at the rink and the away opener was scrubbed.
The boys sat idle until the following Monday which saw them make the trip to Harriston to face Minto Mad Dogs. On paper their opponents looked to be off to a strong start with five wins and a 29-3 goal differential. With close to a two week layoff the boys knew they would have to come out flying early to shake off any cobwebs. Both teams came ready to play with a fast pace and a physical message right from the drop of the puck. The first period saw end to end action with Riley Deline making big saves matching his adversary to keep it a scoreless deadlock. Penalties would get the better of both teams over the next two periods but the penalty kill units on both sides would come out officially unscathed. Minto opened the scoring with under two minutes to go in the second just as a Mitchell penalty would end as a speedy Minto forward crossed the blue line and let a rocket go that was deflected and found its way to the top corner of the net. Minto would make it 2-0 four minutes into the third which proved to be the final tally for both sides.
This past Saturday Mitchell would travel to Palmerston to once again face Minto but this time in an exhibition contest. The tempo picked up right where it left off from the previous game. In the opening frame McPhee busted hard into the Minto end on a short-handed fore-check stripping the puck from the Minto defender and finished it off with a nice wrap around deke to put the visitors up 1-0. Minto would reply to even it up 1-1. Before the end of the first period Lockhart and Jacob Deck managed to get the puck to the Minto net where Jake Preszcator jumped on a lose puck and roofed it from in tight to make it 2-1. In the final frame Minto would be credited for a goal as a result of a dislodged net not being noticed by the officials. Final score ended in 2-2 tie. Tanner Knechtel was solid holding off the Minto strong guns.
The following day the boys made the trip to Kincardine to play their third consecutive game on the road. Preszcator netted one with help from Riley Sykes and Jacob Rauser. Murray set up McPhee to make it 2-0 but that was it for the visitors as the hometown Kinucks came back with three straight goals through the second and third to steal the two point win.
The boys schedule going forward settles into a nice rhythm which will surely allow them to build on the positives they have had to date even with the spotty schedule.
Next action in Walkerton Wednesday and home to Saugeen Shore on Friday.
Go Get’em Boys!!