Pioneers Beat Sioux 3-0, Take Third Place

The Pioneers were back to their winning form after losing two in a row, shutting out the Sioux 3-0 to take third place in the 2008/2009 Squirt Tournament.

Jake scored twice in the first period and Dylan added another in the second.  The Pioneers kept the pressure on and had a lot of shots on goal.  The defense was also strong, helping Johnny get the shutout.

The Pioneers finished the season with an overall record of 14 wins, 6 losses and 2 ties.  It was a great season and all the kids improved throughout the year.  

Thanks to coaches Dave and Mike, and Managers Lisa and Deanna!

Congratulations to all the kids on a great season!!! 

Jake scores in the first:

Jake scores again:

Dylan scores in the second:

The Pioneers kept the pressure on with lots of shots:

In addition to the great defense, John made some nice saves to preserve the shutout:

Pioneers Knocked Out of Championship by Wolverines

The Pioneers' luck against the Wolverines ran out today as they lost 2-0 to the team they had beaten four times this season, which accounted for the Wolverines only losses. The Pioneers' defense was adequate, allowing only two goals, but the offense couldn't catch a break today.

The game was scoreless through the first two periods, with the Wolverine's first goal coming with 8:59 left in the third period. They scored again less than two minutes later for a two goal lead that wouldn't change.

The Wolverines go on to play the Gophers for the Championship this evening, right after the Pioneers play the Sioux for third place.

The Wolverines first goal came as the Pioneers couldn't clear the puck from their zone:

The Wolverines score another quick goal:

Good defense helped hold the Wolverines to just two goals:



The Pioneers had some chances but just couldn't score today:

Pioneers Lose to Gophers in Game #3 - 2 to 1

The Pioneers hit a bump in the road on their way to the championship game today.  Despite a very strong third period, the Pioneers could not overcome a 2 goal deficit against the Gophers.

The Gophers scored a goal in each of the first two periods.  With 5:40 left in the third period, Jake scored and that's when things got really interesting.  Playing with an intensity missing for most of the game, the Pioneer's threatened repeatedly to tie it up but just couldn't get the puck in the net.

The Gophers score in the first period:

In the second period, the Gophers score again to go ahead by 2:

Jake scores in the third period:

The Pioneers had several good chances:

Pioneers Advance by Beating Wolverines 4 to 1

The Pioneers had a great game this morning, beating the Wolverines by a score of 4 to 1.  This victory advances the Pioneers to the next round to face the Gophers later in the day.

Nicholas scored in the first period to give the Pioneers a one goal lead.  The second period saw a flurry of scoring with Jake getting two goals and Alex getting one.  The final period only saw a Wolverine goal, robbing Johnny of a shutout.  Johnny faced 37 shots in this game and saved all but one of them.

Nicholas scores first:

Jake scores his first goal in the second period:

Alex scores to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead:

Jake scores again:

The Wolverines score in the third period to make it 4-1, Pioneers:

Johnny had a very busy game and some good luck:

Pioneers Open 08/09 Tournament With Win Over Badgers

The Pioneers got off to a good start Friday night in the 2008/2009 Squirt In-House Tournament by beating the Badgers 5 to 2.  The team passed well and played good defense which contributed to their victory.

Jake started the scoring very early in the first period, but the Badgers scored as well for a 1-1 tie after the first period.

The Pioneers were persistent in the second period, with Jake, Will and Dylan all scoring goals. The Badgers also got a goal to make it 4-2 after the second period.

Max added a goal on defense in the third period to give the Pioneers a 5-2 victory and a shot at the Wolverines Saturday morning.

Jake starts the scoring early in the first period:

 

The Badgers tie it up at 1:

Jake starts the scoring for the Pioneers again the the second period, assisted by Rachel:

Will scores to give the Pioneers a 3-1 lead:

Dylan makes a great pass to Alex who shoots, but the shot is blocked by the Badger goal tender. Sticking with it, Alex gets he puck and passes back to Dylan, who scores:

The Badgers score again to make it 4-2, Pioneers, at the end of the second period:

Max scores the only goal in the third period, making the final score Pioneers 5 - Badgers 2:

John stopped a couple of breakaways and had some nice saves:

Pioneers End Regular Season With Exciting Win Over Sioux

The Pioneers continued their excellent play with an exciting, last second win over the Sioux today.  Good passing and defense again helped the Pioneers beat a conference opponent, bringing their season record against the Sioux to 2-2, and 11-4-2 overall for a third place finish.

Jake scored in the first period, assisted by David, but the Sioux tied it up to end the first period.  

Dylan scored in the second period to go up by one.  The Sioux almost tied it up at the end of the second period, but their goal was a split second after the buzzer.

The Sioux managed to tie it up at two in the third period.  John had a big save on a Sioux breakaway to preserve the tie, and after a couple of shots stopped by the Sioux goal tender, Max finally put one in the net, with just 2.9 seconds left on the clock, to win the game.

Jake scores in the first period, with David getting the assist:

The Sioux score to tie it at one after the first period:

Dylan scores in the second period to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead:

John is saved by the buzzer at the end of the second period:

The Sioux tie it up at two in the third period:

John makes a big save to keep it tied with about 2 minutes to go:

Jake and Nicholas try to get the go ahead goal:

Max gets the game-winning goal with 2.9 seconds left on the clock:

The Pioneers kept the pressure on again today by taking a lot of shots:

John was busy in the net:

Pioneers Get Back on Track - Beat Badgers 5 to 0

The Pioneers looked like a different team today than the one that played the Gophers last week.  In a rare Saturday game, the Pioneers managed five goals by four different players, and held their opponent scoreless.

Good defense and passing helped get the Pioneers back on the winning track.  Jake started the scoring in the first period.  Alex scored both goals in the second period, the first coming from a nice pass from Rachel.  Will scored the the third period, as did Karson, who alertly chipped in the rebound from Max's shot.

Jake scores in the first period:

Alex scores in the second period, assisted by Rachel:

Alex scores again, to give the Pioneers a 3-0 lead after the second period:

Will scores in the third period:

Karson scores on Max's rebound:

Good passing helped move the puck today:

The Pioneers put on some pressure by putting a lot of shots on goal today:

Aggressive defense helped prevent a lot of shots on our goal:

John didn't face too many shots today, but was able to stop them all for his second shut out of the year: