Strathroy Jr. B Rockets
Mount Brydges Novice Black took a snowy drive to Strathroy on Saturday evening. It was worth the drive! The evening started with the Salvation Army greeting us in the lobby of the arena to collect our gently used coats. A big thank-you to the Novice Black families who donated to this wonderful charity.
The kids ventured from the lobby to outside the Rockets dressing room. Novice Black watched and cheered, as the Rockets came out of their dressing room and headed to the ice for the 20 minute warm-up. Once the big guys were out on the ice, the little guys went into the dressing room. It was a great tour! After our tours of the Knights and Bulldog dressing rooms, the team has become dressing room experts. They know and always follow, the number 1 rule of a dressing room ... DO NOT STEP ON THE LOGO!
At the end of the tour, 2 flag bearers were selected to represent the black team. James & Luke did a great job skating with the flags. The spot light was also on them as the lights went out and they stood next to the door as the Rockets burst onto the ice for the game. That was super cool!!
Another highlight of the evening was the Teddy Bear Toss. It did not take the Rockets long to score their first goal, so the whole arena could litter the ice with teddy bears … and dogs, dragons, lizards, and even a koala bear! The kids not only loved throwing stuff animals on the ice but they got to experience the season of giving. The Zamboni doors opened, a truck pulled up and the Rockets used their sticks to sweep up the mountain of stuffed animals. Once the ice was cleared, the game continued with the boys playing an awesome game of hockey. The Rockets goalie was on fire last night! Jack Moylan by the end of the game had 39 saves while allowing one goal. The Vipers racked up 47 minutes in penalties. The Vipers season average is only 22 penalty minutes per game. The Vipers average 4.3 goals per game but not last night! The Rockets played hard and fast to destroy the Vipers with a 7-1 victory. While we were watching the game, I asked the kids who their favourite player was. All the Cougars (and parents) answered that the towering #18 defenceman, Andrew Martin was their favourite player. Drew took a hard hit at the end of the game and we hope he is feeling better soon.
As always, please check out the pictures in the photo gallery and a HUGE thank-you to the Jr. B Rockets for a fantastic evening.
The Team Reporter :-)