Nov 28, 2011 | Mark Germann | 1152 views
Novice Reds Storm Through Guelph Tourny
The Kitchener Jr Rangers Novice Red won the Guelph Minor Hockey tournament this past weekend with a thrilling come from behind 2-1 victory over Caledon.
The Guelph Power Play tournament was a great experience for our hockey club because it gave us the opportunity to compete against some very good teams that we would not otherwise get to see. The 8 team Novice AA bracket was comprised of teams from Windsor, Caledon, Oakville, West Hill (Scarborough), Pickering, Whitby & the host Guelph Jr Storm. A unique round robin format provided lots of action with a total of 6 games over 3 days.
The Novice Reds played the entire tournament with intensity & enthusiasm. The team persevered by winning 4 "do or die" games in a row, after having dropped one in the round robin to a fast and talented Caledon Hawks team, whom would eventually become our opponent in the championship game.
The coaches would like to recognize each member of the team for their awesome effort in earning this big win:
Our one-two punch of Fischer & Kressler brought the offence all weekend & when we needed it the most (Captain Fisch got the "GWG" late in the 3rd of the final, & Kressy lead the way in total tourny goals). Schwindty played like a young man possessed in every game with a ton of energy at both ends of the rink and great positional play. Sop was instrumental in helping balance the offensive attack not only with his exciting dekes, dangles & dishes, but by initiating many rushes from deep in our end. CullyG provided very steady, sure-handed support on the wing, and contributed with a couple timely goals as well. Germ's terrorizing forecheck/backcheck kept everyone on their toes, and he also chipped in with a big assist in championship game. Kroek used his big frame, sweet stride & consistent energy to be a very tough guy to play against every shift and his linemate Jaegar continues to cash in at the net through hard work, great positioning and timing. Ang Jr gave his team 100% in every game and was key in preserving the championship win when the pressure was on late and their goalie was pulled. Smooth skating "Q" controlled the flow, made smart decisions and was rewarded with a beautiful goal in the first game of the tournament. Colty (a natural centreman) found his comfort zone playing D during these tournament games and saved his best game for last shutting down Caledon at every turn. Kat once again anchored our defensive core with awesome positional play, accurate passing & timely rushes. Carts stepped up for his team big time by providing two very strong games on the wing and maintaining his composure when the "pressure" was on. Jake continued to make it look easy by playing his simple & effective game with pinpoint passing & winning all the battles. Z frustrated opponents all weekend ... this little man was a tower of power, taking his tough, rugged style to a new level. Jake & Z were a big reason why the team only allowed 4 goals in the 5 weekend wins. Julian was simply stellar, tallying 2 shutouts in his 3 tournaments victories. And finally Dawson, with 2 wins including his biggest test of the year so far in the final. After allowing an early first period goal, Dawson "shut the door" giving his team the confidence and ability to fight back to win the championship.
Great focus, great heart, great job. Congratulations on winning the championship ... you deserve it!
Looking ahead, we have a very busy Alliance Novice Tier 1 schedule on the run up to Christmas. On the Christmas break, the team heads to Burlington and the renowned "Golden Horseshoe Tournament" where the Novice Reds will be pitted against the best '03 teams in the province and beyond.
Coach Mark