Mar 19, 2012 | Jason Featherstone | 775 views
2nd place In Thornhill Tournament
This past weekend we saw some exciting hockey games from kids who wanted nothing more but to win. The games started on Friday against Parkdale Select where they came out flying and we started a bit flat. The boys battled through and with the help of Connor's hat trick and a good 3rd period we won 6-2.
Our second game was a little easier for us winning 13-0. Everyone was passing really well and getting shots through to the net. Arthur and Connor had 4 point games and the rest of the team managed to stay focused and chip in when needed.
Our Third game against Barrie was one of our toughest games so far in the tournament. We seemed to be a little slow at the beginning and not all lines were up to the task of playing their best hockey. We scored the first goal against them in the second period but in the 3rd period they took the lead. It was 2-1 and with 2:23 left to play in the game Robert snuck in behind the Barrie goalie to tap in a loose puck for our second goal to bring the game to a 2-2 final. Both of our goalies played really well in this game to keep it close.
Our fourth game we needed to win to try and get into first place. We jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to Antonio's 2 goals. From there our defense was solid shutting the door and not letting much happen. West Farris Trappers ended up scoring a late goal with under 5 mins to go to make the game a close one. But with some good goaltending and team effort and we ended up with the win. This left us half a point out of first place meaning we would be playing Barrie again in the semi-finals.
Semi-final game against Barrie was going to be an intense battle. Barrie showed up for this game and jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first period. It was a see saw battle after the first goal and our defense and goaltending was great. Our forwards were back checking and helping get the puck out. In the second period we tied the game with Aidan throwing a puck at the net and it seemed to squeek through the goalies pads. Tension was thick between the benches, we wanted this one badly. Throughout the game there were plenty of penalties and even a 10min misconduct from one of our smallest players. The team was sticking up for eachother and really battling hard. From the second period on we took it to them swarming the net attacking, attacking and attacking. Finally the flood gates opened and then Connor scored Quinten scored and Aidan added an empty net goal for the icing on the cake. We ended the game with a 4-1 victory and a desire to win the whole thing.
The Championship game would be our final test. We jumped out to an early lead and it looked as though we were going to get through this game with little trouble. Our boys started losing their legs and just couldn't seem to get things going the way we normaly can. Thornhill tied the game with 3:46 left in the first period. From there our goalies played really well and the second period saw no goals. Going into the third our players were pumped but their legs were heavy and with 14 seconds left in the game Thorhill scored the game winning goal. It really could have gone either way. The kids felt terrible but I say hold your head up high because you made us proud as parents and as coaches. Losing is never easy but comming together as a team having fun and enjoying the game of hockey is what it is all about. Thank you to the Boys for playing your hearts out and giving us a reason to love the game of hockey.