Jan 18, 2016 | tclairmont | 848 views
The Silver Hat Trick
Over the weekend Huskie Novice Blue participated in the 2016 Preston International tournament. After a very successful run in the Wayne Gretzky tournament that saw the kids go undefeated in a 16 team division only to lose in the finals, the team was eager to take a run at another tournament championship. With silver in both the Bob Stark and Wayne Gretzky tournaments, would the third time be the charm at Preston?
After a league playoff win on the Thursday night, the team started the tournament on Friday with convincing shutout wins against Oakridge and St Catharines. In looking at the division standings Huskie Blue needed a shutout Saturday morning against Nippising to secure 1st overall. Their commitment to defense, and support by key goaltending , and unselfish play, resulted in the team achieving their goal with a 3rd straight shutout and 1st after the round robin schedule.
The quarter finals Saturday afternoon, had us pitted against a familiar opponent in Waterloo and after a close first two periods, the team pulled away for the win, advancing to the Semis against Ancaster. With a third game of the day scheduled for Saturday evening, we all wondered what the kids would have left. Any concerns of a lack of energy was quickly erased as an energetic and loud group came out of the change room, on to the ice and when the final buzzer sounded, Ainsley had her fourth shut out of the tournament, and the team had their fifth straight victory with a 5-0 win.
Championship Sunday, had the team faceoff against another familiar opponent in the Kitchener Rangers. It is likely safe to assume that coaches from both teams knew it would be a close game that would come down to the last few minutes. However what we were all entertained with, was fantastic end to end game. A game that saw Kitchener go up 2-0 and then Hamilton tie it in the third to force overtime. After almost two rounds of overtime, where both teams had their chances, Kitchener scored to end the game.
The kids where challenged before the game about opportunity and giving their all. If they gave this game everything they had and lost, they can go home with a smile on their faces and have no regrets, knowing they gave it their all. Although there were a few tears, overall, every player went home with a smile. With each game, they increasingly continue to play for each other and play as a team. 3 tournaments and Huskie Blue in 3 finals is beyond what this coach could have envisioned at the start of the season. Can't wait to see what the rest of the season beholds!