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:

Gophers Bring Pioneer's Winning Streak To An End

The Pioneers lost to the Gophers today, 4 to 1.  Although the team seemed to have lots of energy at the start of the game, they had trouble moving the puck today.  Most of the game seemed to take place in the Pioneer's end of the rink and they were out shot by quite a margin.

The Gophers scored twice in the first period.  In the second period, Nick stuffed in a rebound from Dylan's shot to pull within one.

But the Gophers scored again the the third period without a Pioneer comeback.  Late in the third period, after the Pioneer goalie was pulled, the Gophers scored an open net goal to make the final score 4 to 1.

The Gophers score in the first period to make it 1-0:

The Gophers score their second goal to give them a 2-0 lead after the first period:

Nick alertly scores off Dylan's rebound in the second period to bring the Pioneer's within one:

The Gophers took a two goal lead again in the third period:

Although the Pioneers seemed to be on defense most of the game, they were aggressive and helped keep the game within reach:

Dylan took the puck the length of the ice through several Gophers but couldn't quite get the shot off:

John did his best to keep the Pioneers in the game:

Pioneers Beat Farmington 3 to 2 - Extend Winning Streak to 4

The Pioneers faced a good-passing Farmington White team today and managed a victory by a goal.  Short one player, the Pioneers were aggressive the whole game and didn't let up. 

Farmington scored in the first period to take a 1-0 lead.  The Pioneers fought back quickly and Nick shoved in a rebound off Jake's shot to tie it at 1, which is where the score remained at the end of the first period.

Jake scored on a nice shot in the second period, but Farmington came back and got one by John to tie it at 2.

Jake scored on a face off in the third period, to take a 3-2 lead, which is how the game would end.

Farmington scores first:

Nick scores on the rebound:

Jake scores in the second period:

The persistent Farmington team ties it up again:

Jake scores the go-ahead goal on the third period:

Dylan steals the puck and nearly scores:

Rachel worked hard the whole game:

The Pioneer's played some aggressive defense today:

There was some good passing today.  Here, Jake passes to Max who just misses the net:

John helped keep the opponent's score low:

Pioneers Win 3rd Straight - Beat 1st Place Wolverines

The Pioneers won their third straight game today, beating the Wolverines 3-1.  Most of the scoring occurred in the first period.  Nick started it off, scoring on a pass from Jake. Quickly afterwards, the Wolverines scored their only goal.  Late in the first period, Max backhanded one in off a Wolverine defender to make it 2-1.

The second period was scoreless, but there were plenty of shots.  Alex scored in the third period for a final score of 3-1.  John had one of his best games so far, holding the Wolverines to their lowest score of the year.  The Wolverines have averaged over 5 goals a game, and the Pioneers have held them to 4, 2 and 1 goal in their three wins.  The Pioneers have handed the first place Wolverines their third loss of the year and are the only team to have beaten them.

Nick scores with a nice shot:

The Wolverines quickly tied it up:

Max scores to make it 2-1 at the end of the first period:

After a scoreless second period, Alex scores in the third for a final score of 3-1:

Some aggressive defense helped prevent some shots:

John made some great saves:

Pioneers Win Second In a Row - Beat Sioux 3-1

After losing to the Sioux in their first two match ups, the Pioneers used strong defense to beat them today by a score of 3 to 1. The defense gave up very few breakaways and made it tough for the Sioux to get off many good shots.

The first period saw lots of action, with Jake and Max scoring for the Pioneers. The Sioux also scored in the first period with a little help by the Pioneers who deflected one into their own goal.

Nicholas scored towards the end of the second period to give the Pioneers a 3-1 lead which is what the score would be at the end of the game. The Sioux pulled their goalie with less than two minutes left in the third period, but the Pioneers kept the pressure on and controlled the puck well to avoid being scored on.

Jake scores in the first period:




Max scores to give the Pioneers a 2 goal lead:




The Pioneers give up their only goal:




Nicholas scores with a nice shot in the second period:




John had a couple of nice saves:




The Pioneer defense prevented a lot of shots today:

Good Passing and Strong Defense Lift Pioneers Over Badgers - 4 to 2

Good hustle, strong defense and good passing helped the Pioneers earn their 6th win of the season on Sunday.











After a scoreless first period with few shots on goal by either team, Alex scored first in the second period on a great pass from Will. Will got the puck on the rebound of John's save and skated the length of the ice before making a quick short pass to Alex at the last second and Alex stuffed it in:




Jake started the scoring in the third period, squirting one in to give the Pioneers a 2-0 lead:




The Badgers scored next to pull within one:




The Badgers tied it up with another goal:




Alex scored his second goal with about 8 minutes left in the game to give the Pioneers the lead again:




Jake scores his second goal, giving the Pioneers a two goal lead with under two minutes left in the game:



John had a nice save late in the game to preserve the lead:




Max, Ryan and David did a good job keeping the puck in the blue line:



Will played some great defense:




David played some tough defense too, fighting to keep the puck which nearly resulted in a goal:




The Pioneer's had some good passes today. Here, the puck goes from Jake to Dylan, back to Jake, then to Karson who nearly scores:



Jake makes another great pass to Rachel, who just misses the net:

Pioneers Lose to Gophers

The Pioneers fell behind early in Sunday's game, giving up a goal within the first minute, and another in the first period to give the Gophers a 2-0 lead.

Dylan provided all of the Pioneer's goals, scoring the only goal in the second period to bring the score to 2-1.

Dylan scored two more goals in the third period to give the Pioneers a 3-2 lead with about 7 minutes remaining in the game.

But the Gophers fought back, scoring three unanswered goals, for a final score of 5-3.

The Gophers scored first and quickly:



The Gophers score again, making it 2-0 Gophers at the end of the 1st:



In the second period, Dylan scores his first goal, pulling the Pioneers within 1 at the end of the second period:



Dylan scores again in the third period to tie the game at 2:



Dylan makes it a hattrick:



The Gophers tie it up with about 4 minutes left in the game:



The Gophers regain the lead with about a minute left:



A last minute goal for the Gophers wraps it up:

Last Second Goal Lifts Pioneers Over Hudson

The Pioneers improved to 5-2-2 after an exciting win over Hudson in which Alex scored with 2.4 seconds left in the third period to break a 3-3 tie.

Alex scored the only goal in the first period to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead. Dylan scored in the second, as did Hudson, to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead after two periods. Max's score off a rebound lifted the Pioneers to a 3-1 lead, but two quick goals by the good-passing Hudson team tied the score at 3, which is where it appeared the game would end.

But the Pioneer's didn't give up and Alex and Jake scrambled for the puck after a face off with 11.5 seconds left in the game. Alex came away with the puck and put it in the net with just 2.4 seconds on the clock.

The whole team played very aggressively and showed good hustle just like in last week's win over the Wolverines.


Alex scores in the first period to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead:




The Pioneers lead 2-0 after Dylan scores in the second period:




Hudson scores to make cut the Pioneers' lead to 2-1 after the second period:




Max scores on a rebound to make it 3-1, Pioneers:




Hudson scores in the third:




Hudson scores another quick goal to tie it at 3:




Alex's goal with just over two seconds left wins the game!




John got flashy today with a few glove saves:

Pioneers Beat Wolverines - 6 to 2!!

The Pioneers had a great game today, handing the Wolverines their second loss, having also beat them back on November 30th. The whole team worked very hard and showed more hustle than they have the past few weeks. Their hard work paid off!

The Pioneers came out strong, taking a 5-1 lead in the first period. Karson scored in the second period to make it 6-1, and the Wolverines scored once more in the third to make it 6-2.

Alex scores first:



Jake makes it 2-0:



Alex scores his second to make it 3-0:



Dylan scores the team's fourth:



The Wolverines score their first goal to make it 4-1:



Jake scores again, making the score 5-1 at the end of the first period:



Karson scores the only goal in the second period to make it 6-1:



The Wolverines score the last goal of the game for a final score of 6-2:




There was a lot of other hard work that didn't result in goals.

Alex wins the faceoff and nearly scores:



Dylan makes a couple of nice passes as the Pioneers keep the pressure on:



Will steals the puck and nearly scores on a breakaway:



Dylan has another nice pass, this time to Jake who takes a shot:




John had a big day, stopping several breakaways: