OHSWEKEN – On Sunday, Jan. 24, the Six Nations Novice matched up with the Burford Coyotes in a game that caused a lot of nail biting — just missing the win to the Coyotes 3–2.
The first period kicked off with a lot of defensive play, but rather than swarming the puck carrier, Six Nations maintained a man-on-man strategy. This resulted in stealing a lot of shot opportunities from the Coyotes, however, the period ended 1–0 for the Coyotes.
The second period started off slower, as Six Nations did a lot of puck movement up the ice. Mace Anthony made a huge effort, carrying the puck as far as he could before making a direct pass to one of his team mates. But, all of the hustle offensively caused Six Nations to open up more defensively, and rather than trying for the puck they waited for the puck to move. This resulted in two goals for the Coyotes by the end of the second period.
Seemingly a completely different game in the third period, the determined Six Nations offence opened for their first returned goal sunk by Chaz Hill, who was assisted by Crosby Anderson after a quick pass from the other side of the net.
Nearing the end of the period, Hill fought hard through defence and opened for a pass, giving Anthony the opportunity to move the puck right in front of the net. With a sweeping shot, Hill sunk their second returned goal, making the game 3–2.
In the last minute of play, Six Nations called for a time out, bringing parents and spectators to the edges of their seats. After a nice win at the face off, Six Nations took the puck down the ice and tried for another goal to tie the game, but were robbed as the Coyotes defence swarmed the puck carrier.
The game ended with Six Nations still holding their heads high, knowing they will have a rematch opportunity on Burford soil on Feb. 13.
