Mites: The Mite C Gladiators finished the year taking second place in the tournament. In the semis, the Gladiators came out a little flat-footed and fell behind to YD in the first period by three goals. After a good pep talk and stressing team hockey, the Gladiators turned on the gas and never took their foot off the pedal. In the second period, they were able to tie the score at 10-10, which gave them a spark and they scored another three goals in a minute. The game ended with the Gladiators winning by a score of 16-10, securing them a spot in the finals. Brayden Cannon led the team with five goals with Pat Tripp with four, Ben Hebbel with three, Tommy Clavell with two. Jarrod Frates and Paxton Jones ended with a goal apiece. Charlie Carroll had 40 saves with a strong game. In the finals match-up, the Gladiators faced its arch rival, the SC Panthers. Unfortunately, the Gladiators didn’t have enough gas left in the tank and fell to the Panthers 13-8. The Panthers scored off the opening face-off and never looked back. The Gladiators never gave up though, playing until the buzzer with the belief that they could get back in it.
Squirts: In Game 2, the Gateway Squirts faced Lower Cape Black and suffered their first loss of the season 2-0. Gateway played hard with multiple chances to get the points, but L.C.B. goalie was on point. Gateway goalie Ryker King made great saves keeping the score low. Each player had its moment but they struggled as a team.
In Game 3, Gateway Squirts came out strong Sunday morning, determined to make up for Saturday’s loss. Early in the first period, Juni Suarez and Matthew Quinlan each got points assisted by Ty David Ribeiro setting the pace for the game. Suarez, Matthew Paling, and Ribeiro found the back of the net giving Gateway a three-point lead heading into the second. In the second period, Quinlan added two more goals with one assisted by Suarez, who added an unassisted goal. Goalie Ryker King was on target tracking the puck. It was back and forth hockey with defensemen Lucas Demoranville, Jacob Hebbel, Braden MacDonald, Paling and Thomas Leger all being on point. There was some great skating and strong hockey played by Nathan Ribeiro and Brady Kidney. In the third, Joe Urnek got one for Gateway. Suarez added two more and Paling got his second of the game giving Gateway the win 12-4. It was a well-played team game. This concluded the Squirts playoffs giving them a 2-1-0 standing and setting the scene for their championship game in two weeks.
Bantams: Nick Snow’s hot hand led the Gateway Gladiators to their second win in the Yankee Conference Bantam division “round-robin” playoffs. Snow scored the game-winner early in the first period, netting his third goal in two playoff games. Josh Smolinsky and Jared Westgate assisted. Westgate would later add an insurance goal of his own, as Jameson Woodward and Noah Demoranville were credited with the assist. Gateway’s powerplay struggled to find a rhythm, failing to generate even a handful of shots during their four advantage opportunities. However, shutout goaltending by Steven Strachan and Zachary Pateakos resulted in victory over the WHK Hawks, despite the Gladiators frequent inability to execute. Gateway will need to improve as the team meets the feisty Canton Bulldogs next Saturday night in game three of the tournament.