We packed up the team and shuttled them an hour down the 401 for our first tournament of the season, The
Oakridge Classic Houseleague Tournament in London. As Coaches we never know what to expect when playing new teams, all you can hope for is that we are competitive and have a lot of fun.
We were placed in the Major Atom Red section of the tournament with a total of 14 teams in 3 divisions. Our first game was Friday February 14 at 12 noon against the Oakridge B4 Team. It was a back and forth first couple of periods and then our boys finally figured out that we could compete with this team and they were no better than us. It really was an excellent game and our team put forth maximum effort in a 2-2 tie.
Our next game was at 4:15pm against West London C4 and it was a game we really wanted to win. To get 3 out of 4 points heading back to the hotel would have made for a very fun night for both the players and their families. Unfortunately, our guys didn't play quite as aggressive in this game and 2 qucik breakaway goals swung the momentum in London's favour. The boys never quit though which was great to see and we ended up losing a squeeker 3-2.
The Delta Armouries Hotel was amazing and the boys had a fantastic time swimming, playing mini sticks in the gym and mowing down on Pizza. Yes, we all knew that making it to the next round wasn't going to be easy, but these are the moments kids remember from Hockey Tournaments, not the final scores of games.
Our final game was the next morning at 9am against Oakridge C4. Again, we didn't know much about this team, other than they hadn't won a game yet and they would be hungry. We knew that the tie breaker was goal differential so a win was a must, but a HUGE win was what we needed to advance. The boys played great and really enjoyed the Olympic Size Ice Surface. At times we dominated with our aggressive forwards and pinching D-Men. Corey S and Grady S both scored and the rest of the ream shut down the competition for a 2-0 win.
Our final record was 1-1-1 and we missed the Quarter Finals by a few spots.
The positives, in his reporters eyes:
1. Defensively we only allowed 5 goals in 3 games
2. Our goalies were both strong
3. Great team building as we now prepare for our last 6 playoff games
4. A chance to get to know parents and coaches a bit better
The tournament was a lot of fun and I hope the boys left feeling proud of their accomplishments and happy that they had so much fun both on the ice and back at the hotel and restaurants.
Please make sure the boys are ready for a VERY intense weekend coming up with 3 playoff games Fri, Sat and Sun. Also pay special attention to the schedule as Saturday's game is at a different venue
Thanks everyone for the planning and execution of this wonderful event and Go Lightning!