TNT Tornados Minor Hockey

TNT Novice Rep

The TNT Novice Rep team was on the road for three straight weekend victories.

Nov. 21 - Friday's game found the team taking it to a quick start against Sutton, defeating them 3-1.

In the opening shift of the first period, the team charged out of the gate and found the mark. Ben Beausaert scored unassisted with only seconds burned off the clock.

With less than a minute gone, Nathan Smilsky found the net assisted, by Beausaert and Matthew Mitchell. The crowd was amazed at how well these eight year olds looked for one another, to get the puck up the ice and into the net. Sutton battled back with a mid-period goal.

The action continued for the fans and mid way into the third period as Connor deVries scored assisted by Smilsky.

Nov. 22 - The Novices winning streak continued during Saturday's game against Markham as the team got off to a slow start.

The team was behind on the scoreboard by four goals until the final minutes of the second period when Rhys Brown sparked the team's spirit with an awesome goal, assisted by Ben Coram.

The celebration seemed to fill the team with energy and wake the boys up. Within seconds Brown drove the puck into the back of the net again, assisted by a relentless effort from Jordan Maiolino.

The excitement seemed to light a fire under Christopher Thorne, who broke free on a defensive rush and drove to the net scoring unassisted. The celebratory skate along the team bench after the goal continued to fuel the fire for TNT

The fans were in awe at how the young team maintained their composure, and patiently waited for the bounces to turn their way. Midway through the third, deVries scored unassisted to tie up the game.

With just over a minute left to play, Brown scored unassisted to put TNT  in the lead, record a well deserved hat trick, and finish off what he had started.

Mitchell finished off the scoring for the team, assisted by the defensive pair of Brandon Smyth and Matthew Brett.

Nov. 23 - Sunday the team was on the ice against Richmond Hill. There was end-to-end action with both teams having good opportunities to score.

TNT found the mark midway through the first when Smilsky scored, assisted by Mitchell.

There was no action until midway through the second when Mitchell scored, assisted by Beausaert and Remi Drouin.

Then Smilsky found the net again assisted by Beausaert and Drouin.

Scoring ended for the team when Dawson Foerster fired a bullet over the opposition goalies' shoulder, assisted by Brown and Smyth. Richmond Hill broke the shutout for the team late in the game.

The team has a break until Dec. 2 at the NTRC in Alliston followed by a weekend Silver Stick qualifier tournament in Sudbury.

Nov. 11 - The TNT Novice AE Rep team came out strong in the first period against Georgina Nov. 11 in Tottenham. Playing an offensive game in the Blaze's end, TNT put one in with seconds to go in the period on a goal from Peter Carney assisted by Riley Jones and Jeremy Anderson.

Georgina came back with two goals in the second to take the lead.

They added another in the third.

The Briway Carrier team responded with a goal from Kevin McConnery assisted by Tyson Foerster and Luigi DePalma. Emma Foerster, Devin Matson and Trenton Bailey put forth a strong effort

Keeping the goal count down for TNT were Connor Wiley and Kevin McFarlane in net.

The Novice AE team may have found it a little slippery getting to Schomberg Nov. 17, but they didn't' let the puck get away from them on ice as they skated to a 7-0 shutout against the Cougars.

Tyson Foerster started off a scoring streak unassisted with a breakaway.  He followed it up with assists from Emma Foerster and Riley Jones.

The Briway Carrier team added another in the first on a goal from Jeremy Anderson assisted by Lucas Berek and Luigi DePalma.

In the second period, Foerster on a pass from Anderson, made it 4-0 for TNT.

The TNT Novice AEs added three more from DePalma assisted by Berek and Anderson, Foerster with his fourth of the night assisted by Brody Real, and rounding out the scoring Zachary Berek on a assist from Emma Foerster and Brady Poirier.

Netminders Kevin McFarlane and Connor Wiley shared the shutout.

Great supporting action coming from Bryan Rayburn and Darcy Tanish.

The TNT Novice AE rep team, sponsored by Briway Carriers, played in Tottenham Saturday against the East Gwillimbury Eagles. It was a close match with no score until the third period when the Eagles finally found the net.

The TNT team, in its typical never-give-up fashion, battled back with a goal by Zach Berek, assisted by Trenton Bailey and Luc Berek. Strong defensive play by Emma Foerster, Riley Jones, and Bryan Rayburn contributed to the final 1-1 score.

TNT played again on Sunday in Markham. With only three minutes left in the second period, the first goal of the game was scored by Kevin McConnery, assisted by Tyson Foerster and Brody Real.

With 48 seconds left in the second period, Peter Carney assisted by Jeremy Anderson, brought the score to 2-0 for TNT.

In the third period, Tyson Foerster scored assisted by Brody Real and Devin Matson.

With three minutes to go, Tyson Foerster scored his second goal of the game assisted by Brody Real to bring the final score to 4-0 for TNT. A great game played by both goalies - Kevin McFarlane and Connor Wiley - with several spectacular saves.

The TNT Peewee Rep team, sponsored by the Pampered Pet Lodge, split their game on the weekend with a win and a loss.

Nov. 22 - Hosting the first-place Aurora team, the TNT Tornados quickly fell behind and never really recovered. The fast skating by the Aurora Flyers added to their lead and only some fine saves by goalie Sean Caulfield kept the score at 2-0. TNT came to life and saw hard body checks by Lucas Smilsky, Brendan Moore and Blake Murray which slowed down Aurora to keep the final score at 3-0.

Nov. 23 - The Tornados travelled to Richmond Hill determined to make up for Saturday's loss.

Despite falling behind 1-0 early, Mark Stevens from Lucas Smilsky tied the score at the end of the first period. Tommy Faulds picked up a loose puck, beat the lone defenceman and the goalie to put TNT in the lead 2-1. Stevens dotted his second goal of the game from Smilsky and Blake Murray, giving TNT a 3-2 lead.

The third period was all Tornados with Alex Rattasid scoring unassisted; then Kyler Mathews from Rattasid making the final score 5-2. Again, strong defence (Smilsky Douglas, Ceolin and Roberts) in front of goalie Q (Quintyn Farrar) combined with hard hits by Blake Murray, Smilsky, Brendan Moore and Josh McIssac, slowed down Richmond Hill contributing to the victory.

Waterloo Memorial Tournament

TNT vs. Mississauga

Nov. 21 - The TNT Minor Bantam AA Tornados travelled to Waterloo for the Waterloo Memorial Tournament and showcased what could be described as some of their best hockey of the season.

The team, sponsored by the Nottawasaga Inn Resort, faced off against the Mississauga Terriers in their opening game of round robin action Nov. 21. Despite sustained pressure and excellent scoring chances, TNT came out on the short-side of a 1-0 contest.

Later that same day, the Tornados squared off against the Oakville Rangers.

After a period and a half of scoreless action, TNT posted its first goal of the tournament, and added another just three minutes later. Great goaltending, disciplined defensive play and a sustained team effort contributed to the 2-0 shut-out victory.

The next morning found the team pitted against the undefeated, hard-hitting Mount Clemens Wolves from Michigan. The TNT players stood up to the pack and struck first on the scoreboard in the opening minutes of the game. The Wolves howled back with two markers of their own, but a TNT power play goal late in the period dead-locked the game for the start of the middle frame.

The Tornados capitalized on another powerplay opportunity two-and-a-half minutes into the period to pull ahead once again.

A minute later, another TNT goal widened the gap to 4-2. But the Wolves refused to roll over and play dead and bit back seconds later to make it 4-3. Tense action with chances at both ends of the rink defined the rest of the game until TNT cemented the 5-3 decision with an empty netter in the dying seconds of the game.

With one game left ahead of them in round robin action, and in a must-win situation to keep their hopes of advancing to the semi-finals alive, the Tornados geared up to play North Bay. Despite the draining game against Michigan just hours earlier, the TNT team turned in another solid effort and were rewarded with a 5-1 triumph. This success secured the Tornados the division title, a third place overall finish out of fifteen teams, and a trip to the semi-finals.

TNT and the Gloucester Rangers took to the ice early the next morning to battle out the right to play in the championship game. The Tornados fought hard to penetrate the Glouscester goal but were unable to stuff one in and a lone Ranger goal late in the first period stood up to be the game winner.

Congratulations go out to team members Kelsey Farrar, Reilly Turner, Joe Fida, Ryan Leest, Jacob VanderZaag, Adam Ciarafoni, Robert Biffis, Jacob Cook, Troy Wilson, Michael Pinder, Max Jerry, Brandon Pilon, Alex McCormack, Nick Heffernan, Matthew Hamilton, Jackson Sallows and the coaching staff of Craig Heffernan, Brent Sallows, Paul Hamilton, Peter Biffis and Peter VanderZaag for outstanding efforts.

Motown Cup Tournament

Nov. 7 to 9 - When the coaches, parents and players for TNT's Minor Midget AE Tornados, sponsored by Staples Business Depot, thought about what they wanted to accomplish at the Detroit Motown Cup Hockey Tournament, having fun, bonding as a team and bringing the championship cup north of the border were at the top of their list.

An exciting 4-2 victory over the local Berkley Brawlers in the championship game capped off a great three days for everyone and made the long drive to and from the tournament well worth it.

In the first game Friday night against the local South Lyon Cougars, the Tornados took immediate control. They out hustled and out hit their opponents by a wide margin, scoring five goals over the first two periods. By the middle of the third period however, the boys seemed to run out of gas, allowing the Cougars to score two late goals.

It was too little too late however, and the Tornados chalked up win number one, 5-2.

Conner Maggio and Chris Exton each scored twice, while Brett Buck scored once and added 2 assists. Kian Burnett and Lorenzo Giannino assisted twice while Dillon Bilbija chipped in an assist. Mackenzie Nicoll led the team in hits and forcing turnovers, while Braydon Aucoin was solid in net.

The second game against the Southgate Midgets was a chippy affair with some very bizarre calls by the referees, including two unexpected icing calls against the Tornados while shorthanded.

Both teams seemed nervous in the 1st period, making a number of unforced turnovers. The Tornados were fortunate to come out of the first period tied 0-0. They shifted their game into high gear in the second period, playing inspired two-way hockey. Tenacious forechecking, noticeably from Nicoll, Bilbija and Exton and great passing resulted in three unanswered goals, including the first two from defensemen, Alex Delozey and Chace Langhorst. The defence and goalie Matt Atkinson slammed the door shut for the remainder of the game, frustrating Southgate with a hard hitting 5-0 victory. Brett Buck, Conner Maggio and Kian Burnett rounded out the scoring, with a typical effective effort from Luke Redman.

Most parents and players celebrated the victory by attending the Detroit Red Wings and New Jersey Devils game on Saturday night. They were treated to an excellent game of crisp passing, hard hitting and creative scoring plays that saw the Red Wings win 3-1.

Unfortunately, the Red Wings' play didn't have the desired effect on the Tornados the next morning as they came out of the gates very flat against the local Berkley Brawlers.

By the end of the first period Berkley held a commanding 3-0 lead.

Both teams exchanged two goals each for the rest of the game. Kian Burnett and Luke Stevens chipped in a goal each, with assists coming from Alex Delozey, Chris Exton and Lorenzo Giannino.

Championship Game

TNT vs. Berkley Brawlers

With the 5-2 loss, the Tornados were fortunate to have a superior goal differential to gain entry to the championship game later that afternoon, against the same Berkley Brawlers.

In the first period of the championship game, the Brawlers resumed their up tempo game and buzzed around the TNT net. Timely saves by goaltender Braydon Aucoin kept the opposition off the scoreboard. This seemed to inspire the Tornados, who took over the second half of the first period with two quick goals by Luke Stevens and Lorenzo Giannino.

The second and third periods saw the Tornados Kian Burnett and Chace Langhorst exchange a goal a period with the Brawlers.

The final two minutes of the game were mostly spent in the Tornados end as the Brawlers pressed to claw back. However, the Tornados defence, which included Kelly Turner and Adam Cousins, kept the Brawlers on the perimeter and off the scoreboard.

The entire team played an exciting brand of hockey, with solid contribution from call up Cooper Teal. Special thanks to injured player Jeff Dol, who came to support his teammates. Brett Buck was named championship game MVP.

TNT vs. Newmarket Redmen

Nov. 18 - The TNT Tornado Major Midgets, proud to be sponsored by Prudential Ronan Realty Ltd., hosted the Newmarket Redmen for another round in Tottenham. Unfortunately, the magic was not there as it has been so many games before over the years and the Redmen trounced the Tornados showing no mercy.

Nov. 22 - A good back and forth game showing goals for both sides kept the Tornado fans cheering and hopeful for another victory over the Stars but it was not in the stars and the Tornado winds faded as they were unable to tie the game and took the loss by one goal.

TNT Major Midget of the Week

Ian Ross

Jersey No.: 1

Age: 17

Years of Hockey Played: Seven

Attends: Banting Memorial High School

Nickname: "BIG E"

Matthew Stuart has never played a game for our team yet this season as he has been on the S&I list from the get go. Requiring bilateral knee surgeries, he is just now beginning his rehab on the ice and doing amazingly. The team hopes to have him back between the pipes by late December.

Manning the twine every game so far has been Ian Ross. Ian knew from the beginning that he was taking on a huge commitment by signing with this team because he would be the only keeper game in and game out while Matt was off.

If he was unable to play, it would be a skater padded up but that has never been the case thanks to Ian's passion and loyalty to his teammates.

He has stood tall in net and done a spectacular job of it, some games obviously easier than others. Awesome saves, outstanding demonstrations of athleticism, a constant smile and good vibes in the dressing room.