Jan 19, 2014 | dstevens | 894 views
Doan Stands On His Head in Loss to Wildcats
Noah Doan was outstanding in net for the Dundas Bantam AE Blues on January 19th, in their OMHA Playdown game against the Woolwich Wildcats. In the end, however, the Wildcats were too strong, posting a 7-2 victory, after firing 52 shots at the Dundas goalie.
Dundas had started their previous Playdown games with jump, but on this day, it was the visitors who dominated the opening frame. Woolwich, the top seeded team in the bracket, outshot the home side 13-1 in the period, leading 3-0.
The Blues finally woke up midway through the second. Trailing 4-0, Mason Baker took a pass from Myles Walsh, and broke down the left wing. Circling around the net, he fired a shot on goal, and Alex Zegarac was in the perfect spot to knock in the rebound, to get Dundas on the board. Later in the period, Nathan Zontanos went coast to coast on a beautiful solo rush, scoring to cut the deficit to 2 goals, 4-2, with a period left. The Blues had life, with Zegarac standing out on the offensive end.
While the Wildcats did score in the third, it was Doan who didn't back down, facing 27 shots, and making several highlight reel stops, including an amazing save on a breakaway in the final minutes, off the stick of Woolwich captain Benton Weber. In a great display of sportsmanship, Weber tapped Doan on the shoulder on his way to the bench, acknowledging his effort, not only on that specific save, but for the entire game. In a sport where, at this age, tempers often get the best of players, Weber provided a great example of how young players should respect the game and their opponents. The Wildcats, as a team, have done this all season, and it has not gone unnoticed.
The Blues return to the ice on January 23rd, when they travel to New Hamburg, to face the Huskies.