Tigers continue battle against Dukes, St. Mike’s, then hit the Town : The Auroran : http://www.newspapers-online.com/auroran

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Tigers continue battle against Dukes, St. Mike’s, then hit the Town

By Jeff Doner

The Aurora Tigers had another up and down week, taking a 4 – 1 loss to the Wellington Dukes and then following it up with a 4 – 1 win over St. Michael's on Sunday.

After another week, the Tigers have failed to string together two wins, keeping them in the middle of the pack in the standings.

In Wellington on Sunday, netminder Kevin Entmaa made 27 saves, while the Dukes added an empty netter late in the third for insurance.

Michael Laidley remained effective for the Tigers, scoring their only marker of the game in the third period, with assists going to Jacob Bonin and Arran MacDonald.

That was the only offence the Tigers would muster, as the Dukes would shut things down and score four unanswered goals.

In the second period, Eric Williams was given a chance to tie things up for Aurora after being pulled down by a hook, but was unsuccessful in the attempt.

Brushing off the loss, the Tigers then traveled south to visit the St. Michael's Buzzers in Toronto.

Entmaa once again got the start in goal and did not disappoint, dusting aside 38 shots throughout the game, including 18 in the second period alone.
“I felt good and obviously our team played well,” Entmaa said. “Our defence really played strong, so I just tried to do my job and keep it simple and stop the shots that I could see. They really made my job easy out there.”

Michael Laidley once again scored the first goal, on the power play, to give his team an early lead.

St. Michael's would knot things up shortly after, but the Tigers regained the lead on a goal by veteran Adam DiBrina, and Entmaa would shut the door.
Up 2 – 1 in the third, Drake Board would score another, with DiBrina adding his second goal into an empty net to cap a 4 – 1 win.

With four goals in nine games, Laidley has helped pace a Tigers offence that is missing some key players to start the season.

“It was good to get back on the winning side of things,” he said postgame. “It was definitely a really big team effort and everybody was working hard and doing the little things right. Puck battles were a big thing today and I felt we won the majority of those. That shows with how the score ended up.”

In his first year in the OJHL, Laidley has fit in nicely thus far after coming in from playing midget in Sudbury last season. He said he has noticed some differences in the game, but it hasn't been too hard to adjust.

“The speed [and the physical play] are definitely a couple steps up, for sure,” he said. “There are bigger, older guys. It's quite a change. There are some really good teams and definitely each night you have to play your best and compete every shift to compete and win at this level. We weren't too consistent at the beginning there, but hopefully each night we know how we have to work and how to play to win games.”

His teammate, Kory Kennedy, agreed that the Tigers have some work to do and it starts with playing some consistent hockey.

“We have a highly skilled team, but with the newer guys, and the younger guys, the thing we're going to have to improve on is getting everyone to play a full 200-foot game and get everyone working hard and doing what it takes to come out with a win,” he said.

“I think we just need to keep it simple. I think we get in a little trouble when we try to make an extra pass or force a play that's not there, but tonight we just played hard, kept it simple and came out with a victory.”

Tigers out on the Town

The Tigers weren't just busy trying to move up in the standings this week, but were out lending a helping hand and also raising awareness for breast cancer.

On Friday night the Tigers laced up and wore their pink jerseys for a game against the Central York Girl's Jr. A hockey team. The boys came out on top with a 9 – 7 win, but the game was fast-paced and close throughout.

Aurora Mayor Geoffrey Dawe was also on hand for the action and all proceeds from the box office were donated to the Southlake Regional Health Centre.
Many of the Tigers said the game was a blast and was a nice way to let loose and have a bit of fun.

“It was nice to just get out there and get back to the basics of hockey and just get out there with the team and enjoy our time out there,” Entmaa said. “It was for a good cause and we were all out there just having fun.”

Then on Saturday morning the Tigers made an appearance at the Real Canadian Superstore at St. John's Sideroad and Bayview Avenue to help customers pack and load up their groceries.

This Saturday, the Tigers will try on some different colours for Pink in the Rink. The Tigers will wear pink for their game against the Newmarket Hurricanes, at 7.30 p.m. at the ACC, in support of the Southlake Regional Cancer Centre. There will be a silent auction, bake sale and Tigers-wear for sale.

Excerpt: The Aurora Tigers had another up and down week, taking a 4 – 1 loss to the Wellington Dukes and then following it up with a 4 – 1 win over St. Michael’s on Sunday.

Post date: 2013-10-09 15:00:38
Post date GMT: 2013-10-09 19:00:38
Post modified date: 2013-10-16 16:58:09
Post modified date GMT: 2013-10-16 20:58:09