e-Sport

The end of the Spring roller hockey season had arrived.  Following several weeks of exciting hockey action, it all came down to this final night of games.  The first game, between the Flyers and Bumblebees, would determine who would have the opportunity to take on the Avalanche for the league title.  Of late, the Bumblebees have been on a roll, while the Flyers continued to improve each week.  The Bees wasted little time taking the lead, with Alec Flyr scoring the game's opening goal just :30 seconds into the game.  Just :20 seconds later, the Bees went up 2-0 when Flyr passed the puck over to Klayton McCoy for his first goal of the game.  At 4:50 of the first period, the Bees extended their lead to three goals on Flyr's second goal of the game.  Then, with just 1:04 remaining in the first period, Cody Zrust found the back of the net to make it 4-0 at the break.

In the second period, the scoring settled down for a bit, despite several good chances from both teams.  The Flyers finally broke through midway through the second, when Kade Stromberg fired a shot past the goalie to make it 4-1.  But, following a late goal for the Bees from McCoy, time ran out on the Flyers' season, with the Bees advancing to the championship game with a 5-1 win.

With their win earlier in the evening, the Bumblebees had earned their shot at the league championship.  But, the Avalanche stood in their way.  During the regular season, the Avalanche held a 3-1 series advantage over the Bees.  But, as the playoffs go, none of that matters any more, as it all comes down to one final game.  And, what a great game it was.

The Bees, already warmed up from their earlier game, came out firing.  Klayton McCoy scored the game's first goal 3:47 into the game.  McCoy then picked up his second goal of the game just over two minutes later to give the Bees a 2-0 lead.  With 6:15 remaining in the opening period, Cody Zrust set up Alec Flyr for the goal, and a 3-0 lead for the yellow squad.  Just two minutes later, their lead was 4-0 off of a hat trick goal from McCoy.  At the break, the Bees still held the 4-0 lead, despite many great scoring chances from the Avalanche.

In the second period, the game turned.  Just 3:42 into the second period, the Avalanche were on the scoreboard, when Mason Klug found the back of the net to make it 4-1.  The Avalanche then pulled to within two when Klug picked up his second goal of the game, this time assisted by Michael Wright.  The Bees answered just a couple of minutes later off of McCoy's fourth goal of the game, making it 5-2 in favor of the Bees.  With 2:30 remaining in the game, the Avalanche again pulled to within two goals off a full team effort.  Michael Wright sent a pass over to Connor Bywater, who then fed the puck to Jon Foster for their third goal of the game.  Now down by only two, the Avalanche were up against the clock to continue their comeback attempt.  As time was nearly expired, with just seven seconds remaining in the game, Wright had scored his first goal of the game to pull the Avalanche to within one. 

Now, on our smaller sized court, anything is possible, and seven seconds is more than enough time to win a faceoff and bury a quick shot.  But, the Bumblebees were having none of it, as they won the faceoff and cleared the zone to hold on for a 5-4 win in the league championship game.

The league's Most Valuable Player was also named following the championship game, and Colin Flyr was the recipient of the award, just barely edging out fellow teammate Mason Klug.  It was the narrowest margin of victory in league history, so congratulations to all.

We also want to thank everyone for participating.  From the start of the season until the final night of games, every player, both new and returning, continued to develop into an even better hockey player than they were the week before.  Your hard work is paying off in terms of development, and you all deserve good marks for those efforts.  We also want to thank the parents for your support of your kids in these leagues.  And, additional thanks to those who helped coach, keep score, and play in net.

We will be trying to organize some extra competition with some out of town teams during the Summer, along with some special practices, clinics, or drop-in hockey.  We will be sure to keep everyone in the loop in case you are interested.  Thanks again, and have a great Summer!