The New Orleans Mitchell Peewee Reps are moving forward to the next round in WOAA/OMHA playoff action thanks to total team efforts over three successive games.
To open the playoff campaign the boys headed north to take on Hanover a week ago Saturday. Riley Deline was given the nod to start between the pipes but at the last second Tanner Knechtel had to jump in for a couple minutes until Deline could get an equipment problem fixed. The opening period served as a feeling out process for both sides as it ended in a scoreless tie.
Mitchell would strike early in the second period to go ahead with an unassisted goal by Jacob Deck which proved to be the only marker going to the intermission.
To open the third, Hanover continued to press for the equalizer and stepped up the physical play of which many checks were questionably late in nature. The Meteors did not back down and kept their emotions in check and were rewarded with an insurance goal by Jacob McPhee assisted by Jacob Rauser and Jake Preszcator midway through the period to make it 2-0.
The Meteors headed home with the shutout win and the first 2 points of the 6 point series.
Hanover would make the return trip to Mitchell for a Wednesday night contest for game two. The home team once again found the back of the net first with a power-play goal by McPhee assisted by Deck and Ryan Murray. In the second both netminders turned everything aside to go to the intermission with Mitchell up 1-0. Hanover hit the board less than two minutes after the break capitalizing on a point shot that was deflected past Knechtel. For the rest of the third period the play was end to end and the deadlock remained until McPhee scored his second of the game with help from Preszcator and Deck to give the Meteors the lead. In desperation the Falcons pulled the netminder for the extra attacker but Judd Walker made no mistake for the insurance goal to make it 3-1 with 16 seconds to play. Once again, stellar netminding coupled with solid defensive play rewarded the Meteor’s with their second win and two more points in the race to six.
The Meteors headed back to Hanover Saturday night looking to tame the Falcons in hopes of ending the series quickly. Three and a half minutes in Kaleb Baker set up McPhee to make it 1-0 for the Meteors. Two minutes later Hanover would reply with a powerplay goal to even it up 1-1. In the dieing seconds of the period Murray gave Mitchell a 2-1 lead with help from McPhee and Quaid Austin.
To start the middle frame Hanover took a string of penalties; possibly from mounting frustration of never leading in the series. Mitchell soon capitalized with the extra attacker three minutes into the period to go ahead 3-1, Jarett Vogels scored with the assist going to Rauser.
Deline shut down the Falcons in the final period giving the Meteors their third straight playoff win to take the series 6 points to none.
Without a doubt the boys have hit their stride and are firing on all cylinders with a total team effort in all areas of the rink…..they will be a force and now set their sights on Schomberg.