Last weekend we told the boys that they would be representing not just the Pillers team at our tournament this weekend but they would also be representing Waterloo both on and off the ice. They did a great job of that this weekend.
On Friday we told the team that if we had fun, played hard and played our game then we would go home proud no matter what happened. After giving up a tough early goal, we played one of our best defensive games of the year and fought back to a 2-1 win. It wasn't until well after the game that we found out the team we beat was 14-1 in their home league, which just goes to show that if we play our game we can beat any team out there.
Saturday morning we played a tough Whitby team and came out on the short end of a 5-1 game. Even so we saw some big improvements in our breakouts, showing that we are getting smarter on the ice.
Saturday afternoon was all about playing from the heart. 3 games in 2 days is tough for anybody and that 3rd game usually comes down to who wants it more. We kept our legs moving which shows that the hard work in practice is paying off. We also made smart plays, particularly improving our "dump & change" to get faster line changes and keeping our lines fresh. In the end, it took a whole team of 15 kids to dig deep and play from the heart to pull out the win.
This morning was the bonus round. Before the game we let the boys know that they had earned their place in the semi final and whatever else happened they have made us all proud. The team responded by going out and playing a phenomenal game. It took a total team effort to keep it a 2-1 game until the last 1:37 of the game. Then when London got that 3rd goal we didn't give up, rather we responded by stepping up and scoring to make it a 1 goal game and give ourselves a chance to tie it up. We ended the game, if possible, even prouder of the team than we were at the start.
I also want to thank all the parents for your support of both the kids and the coaches. You are the folks who make it all possible and your patience and support has been greatly appreciated.