Dec 09, 2014 | rloucks | 1360 views
Peewee AE's Win Gold At Silver Stick!
"I've got a theory that if you give 100% all of the time, somehow things work out in the end"
Larry Bird, Boston Celtics
Over the past few weeks it's been no secret, the Peewee AE's have definitely seen their share of ups and downs. Wins have been hard to come by lately and rarely lop-sided. Losses have been of the tough kind, some of them happening with only a few seconds left on the clock. Not the sort of thing you want your team to be dealing with going into the 2014/15 Silver Stick Regional Qualifier, and when the tournament schedule was released, well let's just say everyone including players, coaches and parents knew the team was definitely in tough. Pool B would consist of the always dangerous Dorchester Dragons, a tough playing team known as the Meteors from Mitchell and the relentless, undefeated in the regular season, Ayr Flames. Gee, thanks!
As expected, Friday morning would see Dorchester come out of the gate flyin'! What may not have been expected however was that the Tornadoes quickly matched the Dragon's speed and determination, suddenly showing this "fire" that had been missing for some time. A tough game to get anything going offensively, the defense held the bluelines tough at both ends of the rink, breaking up play after play and the starting goaltenders were terrific! Game 1 would end 2-0 for the Tornadoes but the lead was never safe. Dorchester fought extremely hard right to the end.
Roughly 8 hours later the Tornadoes were dressed and back on the ice to face the Mitchell Meteors which featured a wiry little goalie who seemed to enjoy taunting certain supporters of the opposing teams! As the game progressed it became apparent that this game too would become a goaltender battle. With both teams pressing for that all important 1st goal, it finally came off a Tornado stick, back-hand, top shelf! Final minutes of this gem would have one team desperate to tie, and the other somehow holding on. This nail-biter would eventually end 1-0. Tornadoes win their second game of the day! Get a good nights rest Tornadoes, you're gonna need it.
Game 3. Saturday morning. 9:40am. Ayr Flames. A win or a tie would all but lock up a spot in the semi-finals later in the evening, but most of all, it would prove out the fact that this Flames team are actually human!
An early Tornado lead dwindled as the Ayr team capitalized on a couple of costly mistakes in our own end. and to boot, were able to cash in on a lucky goal or two. The game would finish, leaving the Tornadoes on the short end of a 5-3 loss. Now what?
Our Peewee AE's would finish in 1st place in Pool B, earning a spot in the semi-finals vs. the 2nd place team in Pool A, which turned out to be a very competitive team from Lincoln, very competitive. With both teams netting a goal a piece, the game would remain tied right down to the final minutes. A timely goal would make it 2-1 Tornadoes with time running out on the Blades. Quick Tillsonburg goals in the final seconds would eventually send the talented Lincoln team home. Semi-finals would end 4-1 Tornadoes!
It's been said that one of the toughest things to do in a tournament like the Silver Stick is beat a team twice. As luck (or fate) would have it, the Ayr Flames advanced to the Sunday afternoon finals vs Tillsonburg, the winner moving on to the International tournament in January.
From the moment the puck was dropped both teams battled hard. Great shots, great saves, great action! 100% effort by both teams made this game a ton of fun to be a part of. The only 2 goals scored in this contest would come off a Tillsonburg player's stick. The end of the game would have the Tornadoes 2, Ayr Flames 0.
Congratulations and enjoy the International in January!