This past weekend the Fredericton PeeWee Coastal Graphic Ice Dogs travelled to compete in the 2018 PeeWee AA provincial championships. One of eight teams competing for the provincial crown, the Ice Dogs earned the right to compete thanks to their strong regular season. Round robin action saw the Ice Dogs take on teams from Saint John, Moncton, and Caraquet. Coming from behind in each contest, the Ice Dogs displayed a no quit, gritty style to go 3-0 and finish first in their division.
Semi-final action saw the Ice Dogs up against the Lancaster Thunder. A back and forth battle unfolded as teams traded scoring opportunities. The Ice Dogs offence eventually broke things open in the third with Greg Quigg netting four tallies in a 6-3 victory. This set up a final against the hometown Dieppe Aigles.
As play got underway the Ice Dogs struck first but the Aigles quickly rallied and grab a 2-1 lead with strong puck presence in front of the Ice Dogs net. The scoring went back and forth with the hometown Aigles holding a 4-3 lead heading into the third. Looking to regroup, the coaching staff reminded the Ice Dogs they had come from behind in every game of the provincial tournament.
Energized by the hometown crowd, the Aigles added to their lead early in the third. Rallying the troops Coach Kent Brewer reminded his squad that “gritty gets it done.” And with grit, the Ice Dogs kept pressing, getting one back with approximately nine minutes to play. Then, with under six minutes to play, on an Ice Dog’s power play, Greg Quigg found Silas McGuire alone in front and he made no mistake to tie the score at five, setting the stage for a heart stopping last five minutes of play.
The Aigles pressed hard but the Ice Dogs defence and strong goaltending by Liam Crouse kept the Aigles at bay. With a defensive zone draw Logan Reynolds pushed the play forward, chipping the puck off the wall, creating a two on one rush with Carter Sturgeon. Sturgeon playing the decoy, Reynolds roofed a high shot over the Aigles keeper for a 6-5 lead with a minute and a half to play.
Shut down defensive hockey was in order as the Ice Dogs found themselves having to kill off a six on four advantage for the remainder of the contest. Responding to the cheers of the Fredericton faithful, the Ice Dogs stood tall capturing the 2018 PeeWee AA title. The coaches, parents and fans are proud of the hard work of each of the Ice Dogs, and, along with the entire Fredericton hockey community congratulate them on a great season!
Special Congratulations goes to Gregory Quigg for winning the Tournament MVP Award.
The Ice Dogs will be back in action this week, gunning for their fifth title of the season as they take on the FYHA DQ Blizzards for the District 3 championship. Come and cheer them on, Friday night, at 7 pm at Willie O’Ree Place.
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