Minor Atom AAA ... Amazing Experience in Michigan
The Jr Rangers travelled to Lansing Michigan this past weekend to represent Canada at the Nations Cup tournament.
The tournament's unique format lined up 6 Canadian teams against 6 American teams.
Team Canada ... Kitchener, Brantford, Sun County, Windsor, Lambton & Quinte
Team USA ... Detroit area teams Little Caesars, Victory Honda, Compuware, Honeybaked, & two Cleveland teams Barons & Jr Jacks
Each win or tie contributes points toward their respective country's total. Each team plays 4 round robin games and Canada won the round robin portion 30 - 18.
The Jr Rangers played magnificent hockey in the two Friday games. 7-0 over Cleveland Barons & 9-0 over Detriot Honeybaked. On the large ice surfaces the Ranger hockey execution was in full flight with great puck movement, strong skating & high energy without the puck, at both ends of the rink. However, the players needed to adjust quickly to some distinct rule differences like no delay off-side & especially the lack of calls on aggressive stick-work, contact and head shots. The first Saturday game was a 4-3 loss to Detroit Compuware. A spirited, penalty filled affair, the Jr Rangers showed outstanding perseverance, heart & class in battling back from a 3rd period 4-0 deficit. Victory Honda was overwhelmed by the Jr Rangers in the last game of the round robin 12-1.
At the conclusion of the round robin, each team receives a rank from 1-6, which determines the Sunday opponent. The Jr Rangers, despite racking up 6pts and a massive +26 GF/GA differiential, settled for 2nd place ranking on the Canadian side as Quinte went 4-0 in the round robin. The consolation for Kitchener was a re-match with Compuware. The team responded with an outstanding effort and a 3-2 victory.
The Nations Cup winner was determined exclusively by the outcome of the 6 Sunday games. Kitchener and Lambton were the only Canadian teams to win on Sunday so Team USA won this year's event.
The team and their families enjoyed 3 nights in Lansing, Michigan which is located mid-state, about 1 1/2 hours west of the Sarnia/Port Huron border and is the proud home of Michigan State University. Almost our entire group (50 people strong) attended the Michigan State Spartans vs Penn State college hockey game and were treated to an amazing brand of fast paced hockey in a very fun atmosphere.
Thanks to the parents for your incredible committment to our team and your Jr Ranger. A special thanks to moms Kari and Janine for your efforts. Thanks to Mr Apperson our Manager for the endless organizing to make the events easy for all of our people to enjoy. Thank you to our coaches for the amazing level of care and dedication you give to the players.
It is our goal to provide our players with a great hockey experience this year. To grow their knowledge and enthusiasm for the game & to become confident leaders and great teammates. All we ask is for effort & focus ... thanks to the players for taking these two key elements to the next level.
This past weekend brought our whole "hockey family" a little closer together ... and gave us all a good shot of patriotism too!
.JPG)
POST GAME CEREMONIES AFTER QUITE VS LITTLE CAESARS ... KITCHENER, QUINTE & BRANTFORD "CANADA, CANADA, CANADA"