Dec 30, 2014 | Jennifer Bertelsen | 1229 views
The Pandas road to victory in the Jason Cripps Tournament
As a non-hockey-playing Mom, I’m yet to determine if the stress is greater for the girls on the ice, the coaches on the bench, or the fans cheering in the stands. But I can tell you this… it was tense in the stands as we watched in awe of a group of girls who have so quickly bonded as Panda Sisters; and who showed the determination to never give up, even when we were down in goals.
As I have told my daughter, “go out and be the best you can be every second you’re on the ice; and win or lose you’ll have no regrets.” And that is exactly what I saw over the last 4 days. It seemed the further we went, and the harder the competition became, the harder these girls played.
After finishing the round robin with a 2 and 1 record and moving on to face the undefeated Wilmot Wolverines in the semi-finals we knew we had a tough opponent. Win or lose, every parent in the stands watched this game with pride. Every girl on the team gave it their all, and forced the game to over-time. In complete and utter silence through the arena, the Pandas took the win by shoot-out.
The girls arrived to the final game vs Cambridge Teal…. Again knowing their competition was fierce. With bodies a little sore we did some pre-game stretching, lots of cheering and chewed our pre-game Skittles. These girls wanted the win. The excitement over-flowed the dressing room and followed them on to the ice. With a long, hard battle for the puck and shooting opportunities we finally got the first goal of the game late in the 3rd period. With 3:08 seconds left, the Pandas defended and never let up on the Roadrunners, winning the game and winning the Jason Cripps Tournament!
Some may say it was the pre-game cheers, or the extra Skittle-boost…. But Coach Bob says, “It is working hard in practice, and the fact that these girls bought in to our game plan and came together as a team”.
Great work Pandas! We are all proud of each and every player, and everything you bring to this team!
Jen Wolf