The Wisconsin Michigan Destroyers (WMD) scored an early first period goal and made that one goal stand-up over the next 45 minutes of play to beat the Competitive Edge in Friday’s pool play at the International Cup Tourney being played this weekend at the Super Rink in Blaine MN.

The Destroyers win keeps them unbeaten in pool play with one game left to play against the Machine Black Saturday afternoon.  The lost was the first for the Competitive Edge team, they finish pool play Saturday against the 2000 Buck’s team.

The WMD’s organization approach to summers hockey emulates Selects Hockey national approach, an approach to hockey where the kids qualify to play on a team via tryouts and then play in tourneys only.  The players travel to the tourney from separate locations to play.  It is a byproduct of twittering, messaging and cell phones; the basic means the players have to communicate with each other.

Last year at the Super Rink, a Select Hockey team called the West Coast Select team (girls) played a Minnesota Select team at the Super Rink.  The post can be read here.

 http://www.youthhockeyhub.com/what-the-fans-missed-usa-hockey-selects-against-the-minnesota-os-selects/

Both teams played cautiously in the opening minutes of the first period in Friday’s game.  The game started with a feeling out process.  Four minutes into the game, the Destroyers took over.  They dominated by controlling the puck in the Edge’s zone and move the puck constantly to the slot.  The Edge defense would clear the puck to the boards, but eventually the WMD forwards drew a hooking penalty.  At the 11 minute mark, the Destroyers were on their first power play.

They immediately gained control of the puck in the Edge zone and 30 seconds into the penalty, Mason Fitch scored off a melee with Warner Young getting the assist to give WMD a 1-0 lead.

Stung by that goal, the Edge came alive and for the next six minutes, they dominated, controlling the puck in the Destroyers’ zone; but couldn’t score.

With three minutes to go in the opening period, the game flow shifted.  No team dominated, it became a transitional game with both teams setting up good scoring opportunities off rushes.  WMD would rush the Edge net, get off a good shot, and the Edge defense would turn the rebound into an Edge rush on the WMD goal.  Neither team could score because both goalies, WMD’s Sammy Randall and Edge’s Jake Sibell, stood “tall” in the nets, denying any score.

Randall finished the game with 27 saves on 28 shots; Sibell saved 21 of 23 shot attempts.

WMD’s 1-0 lead at the start of the second period lasted 1 minute.  The Edge’s Huck Sorock scored at the 16 minute mark to tie the game 1-1.  Brandon McNamera got the assist.

The remainder of the second period was an evenly skated game despite four minor penalties and one 10 minute unsportsmanlike penalty being called.  The defense for both teams were frustrating the offensive play and that frustration led to a penalty marred third period.

Both defenses continued to control the game in the third period.  Each team’s offensive attempts were foiled.  Eight minutes into the third period, WMD’s Zach Anderson scored from the right lower crease area to put the Destroyers up 2-1.  Maximillion Helgeson got the assist.

Penalties were still being called when a frustrated Edge player leveled a WMD player along the boards (not into the boards).  The Edge player was called for charging and eventually given a five minute major and a game misconduct for the hit.  The Edge ended the game playing shorthanded.  WMD  won 2-1.

The Destroyers’ victory over the Edge puts WMD into the tourney semifinals as the #1 or #2 seed regardless of how they do against the Machine Black Saturday afternoon.  The Edge will need to beat the Bucks to advance.

The WMD should draw the Miracle Gold 2000 team in the semifinals; the Competitive Edge team will most likely play an unbeaten Reebok Nationals Elite 2000 team in the second semifinal game.