Jan 02, 2015 | Malcolm Turnbull | 1368 views
Silver Stick Regional Champions!
Waterloo Wolves Minor Atom A/AA
team top of the pack in Stratford taking the Silver Stick Regional Qualifier.
From January 27-30, 2014 the Waterloo Wolves Minor Atom A/AA team played in the 2014 Regional Silver Stick Qualifier hosted in Stratford, Ontario.
Our first game had the team up bright and early with an 8 am start as the Wolves squared off against the Centre Wellington Fusion. It was a tight game with both sides coming to play but in the end the Wolves edged the Fusion by a score of 3-2.
The Wolves played their next game against the Burlington Eagles, a fast skating team that moved the puck very well. At one point the Wolves were down 2-0 but roared (howled) back to tie it and then take the lead 3-2. With just a few seconds left in the game the Eagles scored to tie it up. All said it was a great game with the Wolves showing some grit and determination coming back from a 2-0 deficit.
The first day of the tourney was done – the Wolves enjoyed a win and a tie against some tough competition. Time to go home, rest up and get ready for another early morning game on Saturday against the Milton Winter Hawks
It is fair to say that the second day of the tournament didn't start as well as the first. Waterloo played Milton in a game that can be best described as very one sided. The Wolves perhaps a bit sleepy in their play, probably wanted to put the covers over their heads after this game losing to Milton by a score of 6-1. Despite the loss the Wolves were headed into the semi-finals.
The team had to shake off the game against Milton and get themselves ready to play in the semi-finals against the London Jr. Knights White team – a team who was at the top of their AA division and were undefeated in league play. This was going to be another challenging game for the Wolves.
The Wolves were howling in the dressing room prior to the game with some fantastic pep talks from the coaching staff and they hit the ice for warm up with a not before seen pace and urgency. We all knew this was going to be a very different Wolves team from the one that played Milton in the morning. As promised the game was a tight skating affair, with both teams making rushes and generating scoring chances. Both goalies stood their ground firmly making circus like saves when called upon. Eventually London got a goal and seemed ready to take the game by a score of 1-0. With the minutes slipping away Waterloo kept up the fight and kept hammering away at London and with about 3 minutes to go the game changed with a fantastic end to end rush that generated a great shot – which was saved but the rebound was pounced on by a trailing forward to tie the game. The smiles on the boys faces where equaled by the shouts and high fives by the parents and fans in the stands. Tied 1-1 it was a new game and the Wolves were not letting this one go – with about 40 seconds to go in the game the team generated some slick team passing with 4 players touching the puck that unleashed a one on one opportunity with the London goalie that was capitalized on by the Wolves and we took the game 2-1.
It was a thrilling game that displayed fantastic goal tending, gritty defense and opportunistic offense. It was also a meaningful game to show that our team was able to compete and beat the best of the best in our A/AA league. Next stop on this runaway train was the championship game against the Niagara Flyers, a top AA team from the Tri-County Minor Hockey League.
The Championship Game began with Niagara working to dominate the Wolves with speed and passing – having none of that the Wolves battled back hard playing great defense and breaking down the Niagara rushes. It was a fantastic display of team play peppered with some awesome individual efforts on offense, and defence and some stellar goal tending. The Wolves took a 3-0 lead going into the 3rd period but with a team as strong as the Flyers no lead is safe and they chipped away against the lead scoring 1 goal and then a 2nd goal. It was a tense 3rd period especially near the end with the score 3-2. However, the Wolves kept their composure, played smart and disciplined and took the Championship game 3-2. As the buzzer rang the Wolves sticks and gloves where in the air as they hugged the goalie and each other – they were the Champs – winning the tournament and moving on to the Silver Stick International Tournament in Newmarket, ON.
This was a fantastic weekend of hockey and the Wolves played excellent rising to the challenge of playing against some very good AA teams. It was a well-earned Championship and one that the boys, parents and coaches will remember. It’s not every day you win a Silver Stick Tournament. Congratulations to the players and coaches!