Midget Major AA News 2004-2005
Sunday, March 13, 2005 Update on District Championship Games...
Tier II Championship Game:
U18: Final Score.....Midget Major AA - 4, Colorado Springs Tigers - 7: The Bulldogs made it into the Championship Game undefeated at 4-0 for the tournament, but not without having paid a high price. Having played 3 overtime games in the last 3 days, the energy that they had was just not there today when they needed it, and Alliance falls in the Final to a very good Colorado Springs Tigers club they had defeated earlier in one of the 3-2 OT wins. The Bulldogs kept it within reach until the Tigers took a 5-3 lead late in the 2nd period, and when Colorado Springs scored again to make it 6-3 early in the 3rd, it was looking tough from that point on. The Bulldogs end an impressive run late in the season, when they won 20 of their last 23 games and finished with an overall season record of 37-17-3.
Saturday, March 12, 2005 Update from Regionals...
Tier II Semi-Finals:
U18: Final in OT......Midget Major AA - 3, Montana - 2 (Semi-Finals): The Majors were not about to be out-done by the Minors, so they went to overtime for the 3rd time themselves in this tournament, and same song, 3rd verse as they won again 3-2 in OT and advance to the Championship Game on Sunday morning at 10:30 AM MST against the winner of the Colorado Springs-Polar Bears game still under way.
Another game that was scoreless at the end of the 1st period, this one looked to be an overtime type from the beginning. Great Falls lit the lamp first at the 11 minute mark of the 2nd period and held the 1-0 lead for almost the rest of the period. But the Bulldogs would not allow Montana to take the lead to the room, so they added the tying goal with only 9 seconds left in the frame to make 1-1 at the end of 2 periods of play.
At just about the midway point of the 3rd period, the Bulldogs took their first lead with a goal to make it 2-1. If Alliance thought they would escape with a win without putting in some time and a half (that's overtime to those of you in Loma Linda), they had another thing coming. And that thing coming was the tying goal by Montana with just over 5 minutes remaining in regulation to knot the score at 2-2.
Overtime, here we come again, and the Bulldogs wasted no time creating excitement by hitting the post in the first minute of the extra frame. Then, with just over 2 minutes of bonus time gone, a shot from the point by a Bulldog created a rebound too good to be wasted and Alliance had their 3rd consecutive 3-2 OT win of the tournament and a trip to the Championship Final.
Tier II Pool Games:
U18: Final in OT......Midget Major AA - 3, Colorado Springs Tigers - 2: In another exciting finish, the Bulldogs pulled another overtime win out of their hats in this come-from-behind victory. After a scoreless 1st period, Colorado took a 2-0 lead in the 2nd on goals just over a minute apart about halfway through the frame. Alliance responded late in the period, scoring their goals 2 minutes apart, with the game tying goal coming with only 1:55 remaining in the period.
The 2 teams battled to a tie through the 3rd period and went into the OT with the Tigers holding a 27 to 20 edge in shots. It was in overtime that the Bulldogs took charge getting 8 shots to the Tigers' 1, and drew a penalty with just over 4 minutes remaining in the first extra period. While on the man advantage, a Bulldog shot from the high slot was tipped in front and past the Colorado goalie for the winner. Alliance advances to the Semi-Finals as the #1 Seed, and will face the Montana team later tonight.
Friday, March 11, 2005 Update from Regionals...
U18: Final Score....Midget Major AA - 9, Houston Hitmen - 1: Maybe they just got tired of each other, but the Bulldogs got the momentum and never let the Hitmen have it back in the 11th meeting of the season between these 2 teams from Texas. The scoring was spread out among the Bulldog players and the game, as Alliance scored 3 in the 1st, 4 in the 2nd, and 2 in the 3rd. Houston scored with less than 2 minutes remaining to ruin the shutout bid.
Thursday, March 10, 2005 Update from Regionals...
Tier II Games:
U18: Final In OT.... Midget Major AA - 3, Utah Wildcats - 2: In another wild one that rivaled the Midget Minor AAA game, the Bulldogs couldn't get enough hockey in regulation and went to the extra period to get an exciting win over a good Utah team. After trailing the Wildcats 1-0 early in the game, the Bulldogs rallied to take the lead at 2-1, only to have Utah return the favor late for a 2-2 tie at the end of 3 periods.
Just over 2 minutes in the extra frame, Alliance got a rebound off a shot from the point and put it home to take Game 1. They will return Friday to face.....you guessed it.....those Hitmen from Houston for 11th time this season. The Hitmen handled the Phoenix Jr. Coyotes earlier in the day by the score of 7-2.
Sunday, March 6, 2005
Midget Major AA – Hitmen 4, Alliance 2: In another tough game between these 2 regular combatants, the Hitmen came out on top this time in the Championship Game of the Texoma Playoffs in Valley Ranch on Sunday afternoon. Even though they have now played 10 times and split the State Championship and Texoma Championship between them, it still may not be the last time they play, as both teams are headed to the USA Hockey Rocky Mountain District Championships in Phoenix, Arizona March 10th through 13th. This one was once again a back and forth contest, with every inch of space and second of time severely contested.
The first period was played as closely as you could imagine, ending at 0-0, and with the shots 9-8 in favor of the Hitmen. Alliance opened up the scoring in the 2nd period when a hard low shot from the right face-off dot was nicely deflected in front through the 5-hole for the 1-0 Bulldogs lead at 9:51. The Hitmen tied it up at 1-1 just over 2 minutes later with their first of 2 power play goals. The Houston boys were intent on putting the Dogs on the man advantage, and it eventually hurt them, when Alliance scored with 9 seconds left in the 2nd period on a 5 on 3 power play goal to retake the lead at 2-1 at the end of 2 periods of play.
Alliance would return the penalties favor at the start of the 3rd period, giving the Hitmen 2 more power plays at 10:57 and 9:44 (5 on 3 for :44). The Hitmen would score on the ensuing 5 on 4 to tie it up again at 2-2 with 8:49 remaining in the game. As time wound down, people starting asking about overtime, but Houston would not allow it. Coming into the Bulldogs zone on a delayed penalty call, the Hitmen corralled a loose puck in the crease and slipped it past the downed Alliance goalie for the game winner with just 2:31 left. They would then add an empty netter with 12 seconds to go and skate off with the Championship. In this close game, Alliance took the shot edge at 27 to 21.
Midget Major AA – Alliance 4, Wild 0: The Bulldogs rolled to their 3rd straight win on the weekend in Game 3, and earned a berth in the Championship Game of the Texoma Playoffs in Valley Ranch on Sunday morning. It was a tight one from the start, with the Bulldogs taking a 1-0 lead in the 1st period, but the score remained that way until 13:22 of the 3rd period. A key moment came with just over 6 minutes left in the 2nd period, when with the score still 1-0, Alliance faced a 3 on 5 penalty kill for 1:15. The boys took care of business, and then added 3 goals in the 3rd for the win.
Saturday, March 5, 2005
Midget Major AA – Alliance 8, Tulsa 2: The Bulldogs showed no ill effects from their tough battle against the Hitmen earlier in the day, and took it to the Flames in Game 2 of the Texoma Playoffs in Valley Ranch on Saturday night. Alliance won their 10th game in a row, and got their 15th win in 16 games going into their Sunday morning matchup against the Houston Wild. The Wild are playing it tough this weekend, with a win over Tulsa earlier Saturday, and dropping a heartbreaker in the other late game when the Hitmen scored with only 9 seconds remaining to beat them 2-1. The puck drops at 9:00 am for Game 3.
Midget Major AA – Alliance 2, Hitmen 1: Facing the same opponent nine times in a season will sometimes bring complacency, but the Bulldogs would have none of it in this tightly played defensive affair Game 1 of the Texoma Playoffs in Valley Ranch on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the 1st period and it looked like the initial frame would end that way. But Alliance would convert on the man advantage with only 5 seconds remaining in the 1st to take a 2-0 lead into the 2nd period of play.
The Hitmen would make it 2-1 early in the second with their first goal, but it would then settle into an aggressive, checking, defensive contest, with flashes of brilliance and sometimes excitement from the goalies, as both teams fought for time and space, continually coming up empty. Lots of penalties and 4 on 4 action opened up the ice some, but the ice was not its usual hardness typically found at Valley Ranch, and the puck would not cooperate with the stick. A couple of close calls for both sides, but in the end, the 2-1 score would stand up for the Bulldogs today.
Sunday, February 20, 2005
Alliance Midget Major AA Wins CanAm Championship!!!
Midget Major AA: Alliance 4, Les Aigles 2: The Bulldogs took a 3-0 lead into the 3rd period and cruised to the Championship of the Can/Am Tournament in Montreal on Sunday morning. This rematch of their first round game against the French Canadian "Eagles" ended the same way and by the same score. The Bulldogs went undefeated in the tournament and got their 30th win of the season in the Championship game. They return home to Texas to begin defense of their Texoma Championship from a year ago, starting next weekend in Houston.
Saturday, February 19, 2005
Midget Major AA: Alliance 9, Arapahoe 0: The Bulldogs got even scoring throughout the game and cruised to their 4th straight win in the Can/Am Tournament in Montreal on Saturday afternoon. Alliance scored 4 goals in the 1st period, 3 in the 2nd, and 2 in the 3rd to gain their 14th shutout of the season in their first look at an American team while on this trip to Canada. Their victory earned them a spot in the Championship Game Sunday against Les Aigles, whom they defeated in their first game of the tournament by a score of 4-2.
Midget Major AA: Alliance 2, North London 1: The Bulldogs flirted with danger allowing the score to be only 2-0 throughout the game while controlling play, and then made it look closer by allowing a goal in the last minute, but still got the win in their 3rd game of the Can/Am Tournament on Saturday morning in Montreal. Alliance took a 2-0 lead in the 1st period, but couldn't solve the Nationals goaltender the rest of the way. The Bulldogs got good goaltending themselves when they needed it, and almost got the shutout.
Friday, February 18, 2005
Midget Major AA: Alliance 9, Forest Hill 1: The Bulldogs came out flying in this one, scoring in each period and never letting the Canadian boys in the game, and coasted to their 2nd win in the Can/Am Tournament in Montreal on Friday afternoon. They will come back with 2 tough games on Saturday, as they face a top Ontario team in the North London Nationals, followed by another test against some Americans, the Warriors of Arapahoe, Colorado.
Midget Major AA: Alliance 4, Les Aigles 2: The Bulldogs took an early 2-0 lead in their first game of the Can/Am Tournament in Montreal on Friday morning, but the French Canadian "Eagles" battled back to make it 2-2 in the 3rd period. Alliance recovered, though, and got 2 goals in the final period to get the win in Game 1.
Thursday, February 17, 2005
Upcoming Weekend Tournaments.....
Midget Major AA - The Major AA Bulldogs will also find themselves in foreign territory, as they too will be in Canada, in the French Province of Quebec. They will be playing in the Can/Am Tournament in Montreal, not far from our PeeWee AA boys, who will still be in Quebec City for the Quebec International Pee-Wee hockey Tournament.
Sunday, February 13, 2005 - Texas Tier II State Championships
Alliance Teams Win 3 State Championships!!! Bulldogs Successfully Defend U14, U16, and U18 Titles....
Midget Major AA: Alliance 6, Hitmen 2: The Bulldogs played one of their best team games recently, and beat their latest nemesis when it counted big time, and captured the State Championship of the U18 Tier II State Tournament at the Aerodrome in Sugarland Saturday afternoon. Taking a 5-0 lead after 2 periods, the Bulldogs played the 3rd period smartly to bring home the title. They will join the U16 Bulldogs at the Rocky Mountain District Championships in Chandler, Arizona (Phoenix) March 9th through 13th.
Midget Major AA: Alliance 2, Austin 0: The Bulldogs earned another shutout victory, their 13th of the season, and advanced to the Finals of the U18 Tier II State Tournament in Sugarland Saturday afternoon. They will once again face those Hitmen from Houston, hoping to settle things once and for all with those boys. The two teams battled to a 3-3 in Game 1 of the tournament, and will hit it again at 2:45 this afternoon.
Saturday, February 12, 2005 - Texas Tier II State Championships
Midget Major AA: Alliance 11, Wild 0: The Bulldogs lit the lamp enough to run up the electric bill at the Aerodrome in Game 2 of the U18 Tier II State Tournament in Sugarland Saturday afternoon, and are fortunate they don't have to pay the bill. The Bulldogs dominated from the outset in this one, and will face Austin in Game 3 on Sunday morning. Austin beat the Wild 4-2 on Saturday morning, and were trailing the Hitmen 3-0 at the end of 2 periods Saturday night.
Midget Major AA: Alliance 3, Hitmen 3: The top 2 teams in Texoma battled again for the 7th time this season in Game 1 of the U18 Tier II State Tournament at the Aerodrome in Sugarland (Houston) Saturday morning, and nothing was settled again. The Bulldogs will come back for Game 2 this afternoon at 4:15 against the Houston Wild, who lost to Austin 4-2 earlier in the day.
Friday, February 5, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 3, Ice Hawks 0: The Bulldogs entered their last regular season game of the Texoma season with a firm grip on second place. The game was another blue collar effort. The Bulldogs opened the scoring 12:48 into the first period with a short handed breakaway shot that beat the Ice Hawk goalie between the pads. Their were a number of minor penalties, however, not many power play opportunities.
Alliance would score again just 24 seconds into the second period on a classic slapshot, rebound and a goal effort. The Bulldogs did not allow the Ice Hawks to mount an offensive attack throughout the game. The final tally was netted in early in the third period on a 4 on 4 situation with another slapshot from the blue line and a rebound goal. The Bulldogs finish the Texoma regular season at 13-2-1 and will see action next at the Tier II U18 State Championships in Houston this coming weekend.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 7, Texas Aces 0: The Bulldogs extended their Texoma record to 12-2-1 and remain firmly in 2nd Place of the Midget Major AA Division with only 1 regular season game remaining in league play. They scored early and often in this one, and held the Aces scoreless for their 10th shutout of the season, and their 5th in the last 8 games.
The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard in this one. At the 1:48 mark of the 1st period, an Alliance defender launched a slap shot from the blueline that eluded the traffic in front of the net and the goaltender. Alliance would add 2 more even strength goals in the first period. The second period was controlled by the Bulldogs who scored 1 goal in the period and did not allow the Aces to mount any offensive pressure. The consistent offensive pressure wore down the Aces as the Bulldogs would score 3 goals in the final period. The Bulldog goaltender handled the few scoring opportunities that the Aces had and recorded another shutout.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 5, Houston Wild 1: The final game of this 2-game Texoma set started with 19 Bulldogs in uniform on the home side and only 11 Wild on the visitors, as the Wild were literally outmanned. To make matters even worse, the Wild were determined to play a physical game, and they would suffer the consequences as a result. The Bulldogs lit the lamp just 1 1/2 minutes into the game on their first of several power play opportunities to take an early 1-0 lead.
The Bulldogs had the only other goal of the period an even strength goal and carried a 2-0 lead into the 2nd period. The Wild finally broke through for their first goal of the weekend, a power play shot at the 5:54 mark of the period. Alliance quickly answered with another even strength goal and the 2nd period ended 3-1.
The steady stream of visitors to the penalty boxes continued into the 3rd period, and the Bulldogs continued to get shots on the Wild goaltender. The Bulldogs had 2 more power play goals in the closing frame to close out the scoring for the 5-1 win. The Bulldogs Texoma record is now 10-2-1, and they will be back in action next Saturday against the Lone Star Wolves at Polar Ice, game time 4:40pm.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 7, Houston Wild 0: The Bulldogs were facing the Wild for the first time this season, and with neither team knowing what to expect, the game started with both teams playing cautiously. The Bulldogs took control and the lead at the 9:30 mark of the first period on a 2 on 1 breakaway. The first period ended 1-0, but the action and the scoreboard would heat up in the 2nd period when the Bulldogs would take control.
The 2nd period was all Bulldogs as they scored 4 even strength goals, with the first 3 in 3:36 span early in the period. The game became more physical and both sides took some penalties. The Bulldogs added a 4 on 4 goal in the middle of third before closing out the scoring with another tally with just a minute to go.
The Bulldogs extend their Texoma record to 10-2-1 and remain firmly in 2nd Place of the Midget Major AA Division. They will face the Wild again on Sunday at 11:00 in Valley Ranch.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 4, Dallas Storm Minor AAA 4: It didn't look good early in this one, as the Storm came out strong with plenty of help from the Bulldogs taking penalties, but Alliance rallied with 3 goals in the 3rd period to take the what appeared to be the winning lead. But it ain't over until it's over, and the Storm had a rally of their own to complete in this highly entertaining game at the Ice Training Center in Richardson on Sunday morning.
The Storm took the 1-0 lead at 6:42 of the 1st period with the first of 4 power play goals. The Bulldogs hit the post twice on back to back power plays and would not score in the frame, and the Storm added their second goal with just 19 seconds left to make it 2-0 at the end of the 1st period. Jared Poe got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard just 57 seconds into the second period on a mini-breakaway and there was no other scoring in the period, and they went into the final frame with the score at 2-1 Storm.
At 2:19 into the 3rd period, Casey Smith scored on a tip of a Jared Poe shot from outside to tie it at 2-2. The Bulldogs received a penalty after the goal, but scored just 12 seconds later when Smith received a crossing pass from Poe and put it in for their first lead of the day at 3-2. The Storm would convert on the power play and tied the game again at 3:46 into the 3rd. The Bulldogs recaptured the lead on a power play slapshot from Bo Hernandez at the 8:13 mark to make it 4-3. It appeared as though the Bulldogs would get away with the win, but the Storm fought back to tie the game with just 7 seconds remaining with their 4th power play.
Sunday, January 9, 2005
Midget Major AA - OK City 6, Alliance 3: Missing their head coach and 2 players, the Bulldogs were prime to be surprised, and the Blazers of Oklahoma City obliged, handing Alliance just their 2nd Texoma loss this season on Sunday at Valley Ranch. OK City jumped the 'Dogs in the 1st period with 4 goals, added another one in the 2nd, and then took their 5-0 lead into the 3rd period.
Alliance attempted to make a game of it in the 3rd period, but their 3 goals were not enough to overcome the deficit they suffered in the first 2 periods. The Bulldogs will take the Martin Luther King Holiday weekend off, and then resume Texoma action 2 weeks from now, as they will host the Houston Wild in a 2-game series at Valley Ranch. They will take their 2nd Place spot and their 8-2-1 Texoma record into that weekend.
Saturday, January 8, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 5, OK City 0: A tight game was broken open by the Bulldogs late in the 2nd period of this penalty filled Texoma contest at Valley Ranch on Saturday night. After a scoreless and very competitive 1st period, Alliance lit the lamp on a power play goal less than 4 minutes into the 2nd frame. Shortly after the Bulldogs got their 2nd goal was when the game started to get out of hand physically.
The Bulldogs were whistled for 18 penalties, and the Blazers countered with 14 of their own, as retaliation was order of the day. Alliance will be without their coach and one of their players on Sunday as a result. The penalties overshadowed a very sound defensive effort and good goaltending again by the Bulldogs, as they recorded their 2nd straight shutout, and 7th of the season. They also raised their Texoma mark to 8-1-1 for the season. They will be back at it again with the Blazers on Sunday.
Friday, January 7, 2005
Midget Major AA - Alliance 4, Ice Hawks 0: The Bulldogs scored twice in each of the first 2 periods, and that was more than enough for them to get the shutout win over the Dallas Ice Hawks in a rare Friday night Texoma tilt at Valley Ranch. Alliance jumped on the Hawks early and often, and outshot them 12 to 3 in the opening frame, with one of the goals being a nice shorthanded goal. The Bulldogs put the game away in the 2nd period with 2 more goals, even while only matching the Hawks on shots at 11 each. The 3rd period was fairly even, with no scoring and 6 shots for each team, to make final 4-0 and the shots 29 to 20 in favor of Alliance.
Thursday, January 6, 2005
The Midget Major AA team has a 3-game Texoma series this weekend at Valley Ranch, when they will face the Dallas Ice Hawks on Friday night, and then come back with 2 more against Oklahoma City, once on Saturday, and then again on Sunday. Alliance comes out of the Holidays with a 6-1-1 Texoma mark.
Sunday, December 12, 2004
Midget Major AA - Alliance 2, Houston 2: The Midget Major AA and the Houston Hitmen have proven thus far into the season that they are very evenly matched. It didn't look that way with Houston holding a 2-0 lead late in the 3rd period, but the Bulldogs would score 2 goals in less than 3 minutes to gain a 2-2 tie. With less than 5 minutes remaining and trailing 2-1, Alliance converted on the man advantage on a shot from the point that was deflected by the traffic in front of the Houston netminder. The Bulldogs end the weekend with a 6-1-1 Texoma record, and held the Hitmen winless for the first time this season in Texoma play as they dropped to 8-0-1.
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Midget Major AA - Alliance 2, Aces 1: The Midget Major AA started their 3-game Texoma series with a 2-1 win against the Texas Aces at Valley Ranch. Alliance upped their Texoma record to 5-1-0 going into tonight's game against Austin at 6:15 pm. More information will be posted on the Aces game as it is received.
Midget Major AA - Alliance 3, Austin 1: The Midget Major AA won game 2 of their 3-game Texoma series with a by way of a 3-1 win against Austin at Valley Ranch. Alliance upped their Texoma record to 6-1-0 and look to make a weekend sweep by giving the Houston Hitmen their first league loss on Sunday morning. More information will be posted on the Austin game as it is received.
Friday, December 10, 2004
Wrapping up the activities for the weekend will be the Midget Major AA in a 3-game Texoma series, against the Texas Aces and Austin on Saturday, and the Houston Hitmen on Sunday. Alliance is coming into the weekend with a 4-1-0 Texoma record, and the Hitmen are coming in with a perfect 6-0-0 Texoma mark. The Bulldog's only loss in league play thus far has been to the Hitmen in the very first game of the season by a score of 4-2.
Saturday, November 13, 2004
Following the Minor AAA game against the Dallas Storm, the Midget Major AA team got a little revenge on the Houston Hitmen in a close 1-0 non-Texoma victory. The Hitmen had earlier given the Bulldogs their only league loss of the season thus far.