U18 LL Blyth Brussels Crusaders hit a slide in playoff run
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
After a promising start to the playoffs, the U18 LL Blyth Brussels Crusaders have lost their most recent playoff games.
The team beat the Mid-Huron Huskies, Mitchell Meteors and the Central Perth Predators twice in February before losing to the Arthur Vipers by a score of 14-2 on March 2 and the Mitchell Meteors on March 2 by a score of 7-0.
The team was set to play the Mid-Huron Huskies on the road on March 4, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time; it was followed by a rematch with the Arthur Vipers on March 11 in Blyth.
The U18 Rep Crusaders have won three playoff games and lost two, most recently beating the South Bruce Blades on the road on March 3, which came just after a 4-2 loss to the Mid-Huron Huskies in Brussels on March 2.
On March 5, the team was on the road to play the Drayton Defenders, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time. Then, the Crusaders will play the Mitchell Meteors on the road on March 8 and the South Bruce Blades in Brussels on March 9.
The U21 team has registered three wins, three losses and a tie in the playoffs, most recently beating the Arthur Vipers in Blyth by a score of 3-1 on March 2 and the Huron-Bruce Blizzard by a score of 3-2 on March 1.
The team next plays the Vipers again on March 10 in Arthur.
The U15 Rep team beat the Saugeen Valley Steelheads in Brussels on March 2 by a score of 6-5. The Crusaders are next in action against the Walkerton Capitals on March 9 and the Shallow Lake Lakers on March 10, both on the road.
The U15 LL team has an even record of two wins and two losses. They beat the Mid-Huron Huskies in Brussels on March 1 by a score of 3-2, but then lost to the Ironmen in Wingham by a score of 6-5 on March 3.
The team played the Mid-Huron Huskies in Seaforth on March 4 and the Huron-Bruce Blizzard on March 6 in Blyth, but scores for those games were unavailable at press time.
They next take on the Drayton Defenders on March 15 in Blyth.
The U13 Rep team has posted three losses in the playoffs thus far, most recently falling to the Wingham Ironmen on the road by a score of 4-1 on March 3.
The team then played the Minto Mad Dogs on March 6 in Palmerston, but a score was unavailable at press time. They then take on the Drayton Defenders on March 9 in Blyth and the AEMHA Ice Dogs in Paisley on March 10.
The U13 LL Crusaders have two wins and one loss in the playoffs. They lost to the Mid-Huron Huskies in Brussels on March 2 by a score of 6-3, followed by a March 6 game with the Howick Hornets in Blyth, although a score for that game was unavailable at press time.
The team will now play the Mitchell Meteors on the road on March 16 and the Goderich Sailors, also on the road, on March 17.
The U11 Rep team has three playoff wins and four losses, most recently beating the Bruce Peninsula Predators in Blyth on March 4 by a score of 3-1. The team then played the Mid-Huron Huskies in Seaforth on March 4, although a score for that game was unavailable at press time.
After four straight playoff losses, the U11 LL Crusaders won their first playoff game on March 3, beating the South Bruce Blades in Blyth by a score of 3-0.
The team will now take on the Mitchell Meteors in Brussels on March 8, the South Bruce Blades on the road on March 9 and the Mitchell Meteors again on March 13 in Mitchell.
This weekend, the U11 Rep team will take part in the Elmvale Maple Syrup Tournament, opening on Friday, March 8 with games against the Penetang Flames and the Lucan Irish.
The U13 LL team will be in Goderich for the annual Young Canada Week tournament, first playing the Walkerton Capitals on Friday.
On Saturday, the U13 LL Crusaders will then continue tournament play with a game against the Wingham Ironmen, while the U11 Rep team will play the Wasaga Beach Stars.
In regular season action on Friday, the U7 Black team will welcome Central Perth to Brussels and then, on Saturday, the U9 MD team will head to Arthur to play the Vipers, the U9 LL team will host the Huron-Bruce Blizzard in Brussels and the U8 Black team will be in Lucknow to play the Huron-Bruce Blizzard.
On Monday, the U15 Rep Crusaders will take their turn in Goderich for Young Canada Week, first taking on Central Perth on March 11, followed by games with the Saugeen Valley Steelheads and the Tavistock Royals on March 12.
On March 13, the U9 LL team will play the Listowel Cyclones on the road.
Looking back, on March 3, the U9 MD team beat the Drayton Defenders on the road by a score of 7-0. On March 2, the U7 Black and White teams played two Wingham Ironmen teams on the road, while the U7 Burgundy team hosted Central Perth in Blyth, the U8 Burgundy team welcomed Huron-Bruce to Brussels and the U8 Black team travelled to Wingham to play the Ironmen, but scores were not kept for those games. The U9 MD team lost to the Wallace Sabres by a score of 5-4 in Blyth and the U9 LL team played Huron-Bruce in Ripley, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time.