Novice Select - Finalists in Fort Erie Tournament
The Waterloo Wolves Novice Select team made it to the finals at the Fort Erie Winter Challenge Select Tournament on Jan. 14-16, 2011, but lost to a skilled Oakville team that went undefeated in the tournament.
The team played well all weekend with strong contributions from everyone. They had 2 wins and 1 loss in round-robin play, beating the Fort Erie Jr. Meteors Novice AE team 6-1, and also beating the Fort Erie Jr. Meteors Novice Select team 6-1.
In the third preliminary game, the Wolves lost to the Oakville Black Wings 3-1 in a close game that saw Waterloo score first, and then Oakville return with unanswered 2 goals and then an empty net goal.
Meeting the Fort Erie Select team again in the semi-finals, the Wolves had a slow start with players showing the effects of 3 games in 2 days, while living in a hotel and having a bit too much pool and mini-sticks. The opposition scored first and the parents had a tense first two periods. The Wolves woke up for the third period and exploded to an 8-2 finish.
They felt strong going into the finals on Sunday, but knew there was work to do against Oakville who had been demolishing the opposition: 13-1, 14-2 and then 12-0 in the semis.
The finals saw the Wolves take the ice to an enthusiastic (loud) Waterloo crowd and they were pumped. It was a hard fought game, but in the end, Oakville proved too strong and quick for the Wolves, and we lost 3-0.
As their first tournament, the team played extremely well and the parents and coaches are very proud of them. For some of the team, this is their first year in hockey and they are doing incredibly.
We look forward to the Alliance Select Championships in April. Go Wolves Go...