Not even an ammonia leak could dampen the competitive spirit
of both the Jr. Rangers and Rebels as their Saturday night tournament tilt was
suspended after the second period due to an overwhelming ammonia vapour
saturating the arena. A compressor issue at the arena lead to significant
levels of noxious gas invading the rink as the game progressed. When the second
period ended, both benches and the refs decided it was time to get some fresh
air and see if a solution could be found.
During the break in play players from both the Kitchener and Michigan teams took their on ice battle to the table top arcade hockey machine sitting in the lobby. For the next twenty minutes the spirit of competition, love of hockey and loud cheering had both squads hotly contesting the on ice game. With no solution and rising levels of ammonia, both benches cleared the dressing rooms, switched skates for shoes and left the building. The game ended after the second as a 1-1 tie but the arcade game had the Kitchener squad edging Michigan at the buzzer.
A great weekend tournament with the final game hosted at the Yost Arena, University of Michigan, didn’t find the Jr. Rangers in the championship. The opportunity to play good clubs from Chicago, Michigan and Vaughan as well as enjoy the team time south of the border in perfect Fall weather will be a good launch pad to the rest of the season.