The time of the year has come when the season must come to an end. Although this is sad because it is the last time many seniors will put on the Northwood jersey, we still need to appreciate how the season culminates. The prep team had two final games against Stanstead College this past weekend, and this is how it went.
The team started the weekend at the Saranac Lake rink with their game on Saturday. There was a lot on the line because the team wanted to go out with a bang and more importantly, it wanted to make these final games something to be proud of.
Coach Morris and the team in action at the Northwood Invitational Tournament this season (Photo: Mr. Michael Aldridge).
The game started with a quick lead from the Huskies and the game was going in Northwood’s favor. This quickly changed when Stanstead was able to get a powerplay goal to tie the game back up. It was a back-and-forth game with both teams being in the lead multiple times. This one came down to a nail biter in the last few minutes. Northwood scored two back-to-back goals allowing them to capture the lead with a minute and thirty seconds on the clock. I wish I could say this ended in the Huskie’s favor but sadly Stanstead was able to score one goal and then another to give them the win. Another weekend started with a heartbreaking loss to a team that Northwood knew it could beat.
This final game on Sunday was a must win for the team. With this being Coach Morris’ last game, along with all the seniors leaving, the boys had to give it their all to end the season strong. This game was much different than the previous one. Northwood came out with a fire that wasn’t there the day before. The boys were scoring goal after goal, and they were looking dominant going into the second half. Stanstead was able to muster up to goals but that is all they could do. The Huskies were not letting them take this last game away, they were not going to lose this game. James Schneid also happened to be one goal away from scoring an incredible fifty goals on the season, so you can imagine how badly the team wanted him to achieve this milestone in his last game. Schneid was trying and trying and finally he was able to hammer home his fiftieth goal. The bench went crazy, and everyone erupted in yelling to congratulate James. The boys kept the lead this game and won an outstanding 8-2. Not bad for the final game.
I have had the honor of playing for Coach Morris for the past two years and I can say that he has been a great coach. Teaching the team what it means to truly love the game of hockey. He always demanded the best from each of us and that is something to be grateful for. He came back to Northwood and led the prep team to two forty-win seasons to cap off his already outstanding coaching career. With the season done I have loved every second of playing and writing about the Northwood Prep team and I wish all the players good luck in the future. Thank you everyone for their continued support of the team and as always GO HUSKIES!
