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Apples Don’t Fall Far From the Tree
2025-01-29
Greg “Apples” Bonnell and his lesser known son, Silas
The Aurora looked to take down the Tigers and the Evergreens attempt to do the same to the Lions.
Fresh off his first All-Star appearance, the Tigers' Ron Beaton kept playing like a star as he opened the scoring vs the Aurora just 14 seconds into the game, as he streaked down the right wing and fired a wrister through the legs of Logan MacLean.
The lead wouldn't hold long though as a short bench Aurora was sending Matt Simpson out as much as possible and he and Max Dewey were making shit happen. Dewey passed over to Simpson on a 2 on 1 and with a nice move across the goal mouth, Simpson had just to put the puck into the empty net, which he did, and it was 1-1.
There was an embargo on scoring for the next 11 minutes where Simpson and Dewey were again on an odd man rush, this time it was Simpson, harnessing the power of Denis Savard as he made a spinorama pass over to Dewey who tapped it in. Ryan Clarke picked up his 6th assist of the season on the play as he leans into his supporting role.
Going into the second period at 2-1 Aurora, the Tigers were hoping to keep it close. That idea was immediately challenged as Matthew Pare found the net for the first time this season when he snuck into the slot from his defensive position. The Aurora would add to their lead when Norm Gallant kept Simpson to the outside and pushed him behind the net, but no-one picked up David Lacey in front of the net (must not have heard him), and Simpson got the puck through to him for the goal.
The Tigers Kenny Shea got his first of the season just 30 seconds later to cut the lead to 4-2 as his shot trickled through MacLean. A beauty of a stretch pass from Noah Joncas took that closeness away as he set Dewey in alone and Dewey roofed a shot over the shoulder of Nick Comeau to make it 5-3. Lacey would then add another before a nice move by George Murray who was taking notes from his son's play, and he put the puck upstairs, but it wouldn't be enough as the Tigers fell to the Aurora 6-3. The Aurora vault into first place, at least until the Osprey game this week as a win by pink will put them back into the lead.
Our other game of the night was the 3rd place Evergreens vs the 5th place Lions. With Jonny Prall's season being ended up a shoulder injury, the team brought in Aidan Durnford as a replacement for the season with last night being his first official game. He was stopping everything in the first period as the Lions looked to test him. In the other net it was Jamie Wutke doing the same for the Lions.
The scoring would open when a shot came through to the net and Joey Richard made a quick play to clear the rebound. Unfortunately it went right on the tape of Drew LeFrank who had basically had an open net to shoot on, and he wouldn't miss. The Lions got the first and only power-play of the game as Chris Ryder got called for hooking Dustin Hall on a breakaway. On the ensuing power play, Dave Matthews forced a turnover when ended with Brandon Marsh finding Jamie Richard cutting to the slot. He one timed it into the bottom right corner of the net to tie the game.
1-1 after 1, it was anyone's game, and Landon Miron gave the lead to the Evergreens when he took a shot that just squeaked through Wutke, barely crossing the line. Jake Rankin won the next draw forward and Eric Blanchard took the puck and beat two Defencemen and fired a shot under the glove of Durnford to tie it back up just 6 seconds after the Miron goal. You can't ask for a much better response than that.
It would be Miron again as he took a Chris Ryder feed on his next shift and put it glove side. The Lions wouldn't respond as quickly this time, but they would respond. Greg "Apples" Bonnell worked his tail off as he pursued a puck in the corner, winning a battle and finding Rob Emberley. Jake Rankin pulled a broken controlled Ovechkin, taking no strides from his won blue line and then coasting all the way to the Evergreens zone. Emberley spotted Rankin on cruise control with his stick cocked and ready and the pass was made. Rankin released his stored up energy and blasted a low shot into the net to tie it back up.
With just a minute and a half left, the Evergreens were pressuring the Lions and after a couple of good saves by Wutke, Dave Matthews turned and fired a puck up the middle. The puck was deflected by an Evergreens defender and slowed down enough for Dustin Hall to catch it and go in all alone on the breakaway, this time without Chris Ryder there to catch him, he skated in and roofed it off the back bar to put the Lions up by a goal.
Eric Blanchard made good on the empty net for his second of the game to give the Lions some important insurance as with just 1.6 seconds left, Brock Bethune made a pass over the Chris Ryder in front. The puck went right over the goalie and into the crease with an open net. The Lions Dave Matthews refused to touch the puck for fear of it getting knocked into the net, and since it was an obvious hand pass, the Evergreens also couldn't touch it, but the did as Chris Ryder knocked it in and the refs called it a goal anyway :o
The game would end 6-5 for the Lions, their first win against a top 4 team this season, and important victory for morale.
The lead wouldn't hold long though as a short bench Aurora was sending Matt Simpson out as much as possible and he and Max Dewey were making shit happen. Dewey passed over to Simpson on a 2 on 1 and with a nice move across the goal mouth, Simpson had just to put the puck into the empty net, which he did, and it was 1-1.
There was an embargo on scoring for the next 11 minutes where Simpson and Dewey were again on an odd man rush, this time it was Simpson, harnessing the power of Denis Savard as he made a spinorama pass over to Dewey who tapped it in. Ryan Clarke picked up his 6th assist of the season on the play as he leans into his supporting role.
Going into the second period at 2-1 Aurora, the Tigers were hoping to keep it close. That idea was immediately challenged as Matthew Pare found the net for the first time this season when he snuck into the slot from his defensive position. The Aurora would add to their lead when Norm Gallant kept Simpson to the outside and pushed him behind the net, but no-one picked up David Lacey in front of the net (must not have heard him), and Simpson got the puck through to him for the goal.
The Tigers Kenny Shea got his first of the season just 30 seconds later to cut the lead to 4-2 as his shot trickled through MacLean. A beauty of a stretch pass from Noah Joncas took that closeness away as he set Dewey in alone and Dewey roofed a shot over the shoulder of Nick Comeau to make it 5-3. Lacey would then add another before a nice move by George Murray who was taking notes from his son's play, and he put the puck upstairs, but it wouldn't be enough as the Tigers fell to the Aurora 6-3. The Aurora vault into first place, at least until the Osprey game this week as a win by pink will put them back into the lead.
Our other game of the night was the 3rd place Evergreens vs the 5th place Lions. With Jonny Prall's season being ended up a shoulder injury, the team brought in Aidan Durnford as a replacement for the season with last night being his first official game. He was stopping everything in the first period as the Lions looked to test him. In the other net it was Jamie Wutke doing the same for the Lions.
The scoring would open when a shot came through to the net and Joey Richard made a quick play to clear the rebound. Unfortunately it went right on the tape of Drew LeFrank who had basically had an open net to shoot on, and he wouldn't miss. The Lions got the first and only power-play of the game as Chris Ryder got called for hooking Dustin Hall on a breakaway. On the ensuing power play, Dave Matthews forced a turnover when ended with Brandon Marsh finding Jamie Richard cutting to the slot. He one timed it into the bottom right corner of the net to tie the game.
1-1 after 1, it was anyone's game, and Landon Miron gave the lead to the Evergreens when he took a shot that just squeaked through Wutke, barely crossing the line. Jake Rankin won the next draw forward and Eric Blanchard took the puck and beat two Defencemen and fired a shot under the glove of Durnford to tie it back up just 6 seconds after the Miron goal. You can't ask for a much better response than that.
It would be Miron again as he took a Chris Ryder feed on his next shift and put it glove side. The Lions wouldn't respond as quickly this time, but they would respond. Greg "Apples" Bonnell worked his tail off as he pursued a puck in the corner, winning a battle and finding Rob Emberley. Jake Rankin pulled a broken controlled Ovechkin, taking no strides from his won blue line and then coasting all the way to the Evergreens zone. Emberley spotted Rankin on cruise control with his stick cocked and ready and the pass was made. Rankin released his stored up energy and blasted a low shot into the net to tie it back up.
With just a minute and a half left, the Evergreens were pressuring the Lions and after a couple of good saves by Wutke, Dave Matthews turned and fired a puck up the middle. The puck was deflected by an Evergreens defender and slowed down enough for Dustin Hall to catch it and go in all alone on the breakaway, this time without Chris Ryder there to catch him, he skated in and roofed it off the back bar to put the Lions up by a goal.
Eric Blanchard made good on the empty net for his second of the game to give the Lions some important insurance as with just 1.6 seconds left, Brock Bethune made a pass over the Chris Ryder in front. The puck went right over the goalie and into the crease with an open net. The Lions Dave Matthews refused to touch the puck for fear of it getting knocked into the net, and since it was an obvious hand pass, the Evergreens also couldn't touch it, but the did as Chris Ryder knocked it in and the refs called it a goal anyway :o
The game would end 6-5 for the Lions, their first win against a top 4 team this season, and important victory for morale.