The Woodstock Slammers of the Maritime Junior Hockey League (MHL) have many reasons to celebrate. The Slammers topped the Weeks Crushers 6-3 on Thursday, October 20th. They then returned home on Friday, October 21st and defeated the Amherst Ramblers 6-4 in a close, action-packed competition. This was the first defeat of the season for Amherst.
After the Friday night match, the Slammers have been ranked top in the country. They are currently the only undefeated Junior A hockey squad in Canada to remain undefeated. In their first eleven games, for which the Slammers went without a defeat, they scored 60 goals and allowed only 21 goals, placing them first in the MHL. They also have scored on 29 percent of their power plays, placing first in their league in that category as well. The Slammers rank third in their league on the penalty kill, killing 88 percent of their penalties. They now rest undefeated thirteen games to zero.
Such significant achievements so early in the MHL season could not be reached without hard work, and not just on the part of the players. The efforts behind the bench go unnoticed far too often. Slammers Head Coach Jason Tatarnic and Associate Coach Kyle Adams are both friendly, well-respected figures. The Shiretown Blogger wishes to thank the Slammers' dedicated coaching staff, and the endless other individuals who work so hard behind the scenes to make the Woodstock Slammers the great team that they are.
The Woodstock Slammers' next home game is scheduled for Friday, October 28th, 2011 at 7:30 pm. They will be facing the Weeks Crushers.
The Slammers during warm-up.
The Woodstock Slammers have become known for making quite an entrance to their home games, as shown in this YouTube video.
Slammers goaltender Sam Renault, #1, is seen here between the pipes.
Goalie Sam Renault's head can be seen close-up in the foreground, while the bench and head coach Jason Tatarnic are in the foreground. Tatarnic looks to be getting right into the action.
Tim Rose, #17, looks for someone to pass the rubber to.
Town of Woodstock Public Works employee Gary Wright flooding the ice during the first intermission.
This looked like it could have escalated into a fight at any moment at the end of the second period. Good thing there was a referee and his linesmen standing close by.
#17 Tim Rose taking a break during the second intermission.
Applying wax to a stick is just a small part of regular maintenance required with hockey gear.
Coming out for the third period
Woodstock Slammers goaltender Matt Murphy, #35, is seen here keeping a close eye on his teammates and the game. Chris Rygus, #27, is lending a helping hand at defending his team's net.
Celebrating after a hard-fought goal.
The Woodstock Slammers celebrating after another hard-fought goal in the third period.
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