: Atom Select Jr. Rangers champs at Oakville tournament
The Kitchener Jr. Rangers Atom Select team went undefeated
in the Frank Sabatino Memorial Tournament in Oakville to clinch the
championship in a tough tournament with deep, talented teams.
Riding a wave of strong team play, passing and outstanding goaltending, the Jr. Rangers never fell behind in any of the five games they played during the Jan. 20-22 tournament.
“The boys really came together as team during the week-end and it showed in their overall performance on the ice”, said coach Doug Robertson. “They really should be proud of themselves and recognize that if they continue to play with the same level of focus and teamwork they will continue to succeed both on and off the ice!”
The Jr. Rangers drew first blood in their opening game against a very strong Oakville Heat after a goal by Daniel Purcell. Goaltender Liam Druar’s stellar work between the pipes earned him a 1-0 shutout win and game MVP. The Jr. Rangers then played the Burlington Bulldogs and Cambridge Hawks in two tight matches that both ended in 2-1 wins for the Jr. Rangers.
In the semi-finals, the boys took on the top-seeded Oakville Silverhawks. Taking advantage of a five-on-three, defenceman Zane Newman netted two goals in the second period to put the team on top. The Silverhawks mounted a comeback, scoring in the third period, to make it 2-1, but with strong back-checking, defence and an excellent penalty kill, the boys were able to hold off the Silverhawks and come away with the 2-1 victory, sending them to the finals.
In the finals, the boys were up against the tough Oakville Bandits. The Jr. Rangers jumped out with an early lead with three first-period goals — two by forward Liam Robertson, who was named tournament MVP, and another by forward Madison Kroetsch. Forward Dan Purcell would add another goal in the second period.
The Bandits were down, but not out, scoring three goals of their own.
But the boys held strong and shut down the Bandits’ come back, sweeping the tournament with five victories.
The team also participated in a skills competition, in which several Jr. Rangers’ did Kitchener proud. Forward Daniel Purcell had one of the fastest shots in the competition, clocking in at a very consistent 44 miles per hour and goaltender Kyle Bell was a runner-up in the goaltending competition. Jr. Rangers Gavin Canapini, Miles Gulas and Blake Shurr also had strong showings in the skills competition for defence and agility, fastest skater and the shootout competition respectively.