Nov 19, 2019 | Steve Phylactou | 1192 views
Buffalo River Outdoor Classic Finalist!!
Congratulations Minor Atom Red for reaching the Buffalo Outdoor River Classic Finals in our second tournament of the year!
Playing against Major Atom 'A' teams, the boys battled all weekend and earned the right to compete for a Championship....
The weekend started out Thursday night, where the boys attended the Buffalo Sabres vs. Carolina Hurricanes game together!
We asked the players to watch both teams passing, zone entries and responsibilities. Nothing like watching and learning from the best players in the world!
Our first game was Friday morning at the Healthy Zone Outdoor Rink versus Ashburn Xtreme from Virginia.
The boys took in the atmosphere and walked the facility prior to puck drop as the excitement grew.
Once the game started, The Rangers quickly found themselves down 2-0 but stuck to their game and battled back to tie the game 3-3.
Our second game was against another Canadian team; the Major Atom 'A' - South Kent Lightning @ the River Works outdoor complex.
Again the boys were excited about the venue and the challenge ahead.
Unfortunately the age and size showed, as we came up short 8-1 to a very strong South Kent Team.
Our final round robin game was bright and early Saturday morning versus Monroe County Eagles from Western New York.
The Rangers knew they needed to win big to advance to the finals and came thru with a 7-0 win qualifying for the Championship game!
South Kent Lightning was again our opponent and the Rangers were excited to get another opportunity to play a top team!
Before the game, the coaching staff asked the boys to play for each other and compete to their fullest and whatever the outcome was, we would be proud of them.....and boy did they deliver!
The Rangers had one of their best efforts all year, taking on some players twice their size and a full year older!
Tied 2-2 into the third, the Rangers hit the post and South Kent countered with a goal making it 3-2.
The boys continued to battle to the very end where eventually the Lightning scored 2 more in the last 2 minutes for the victory..... but when the final buzzer sounded it was the Rangers celebrating!!
The entire team took pride in their effort and goaltending all tournament long and although they didn't win, they knew they took the next step!
The Coaching Staff is incredibly proud of this team and parent group for their CARE. COMMIT and COMPETE!
Way to go Rangers!!