Novice Rep International Silverstick Champions!!!, News, Novice Rep, U9, 2014-2015 (Mt Brydges Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2014-2015 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Jan 28, 2015 | Marc van de Ven | 1604 views
Novice Rep International Silverstick Champions!!!
A weekend to remember...

The Novice Rep team headed across the Michigan border to St.Clair Shores last Thursday evening in hopes of repeating the success had at the Regional tournament in Parkhill.  With the 1st game scheduled for an early 7am start against the Simcoe Warriors, the Cougars were to be in bed early.  The game started somewhat slow with chances being traded at each end, it wasn't until the middle of the 2nd period when the Cougars got on the board to lead 1-0.  The game would eventually end in the 1 goal differential.

The Cougars would see a Twin Centre Stars team that was coming to the tournament with a remarkable record of 32-2-1, we new we were in for a tough game!  In addition, the ice surface we were scheduled to play on was larger then an "Olympic Pad",  A lot of room for Novice players!  We traded goals thru the 1st and start of 2nd period to keep the game tied knotted at 2-2.  But penalty trouble would get the best of us, being called for 7 infractions for the remainder of the game made it extremely difficult to muster much offence on such a large ice surface.  We fell to the Stars 4-2.  

This meant the Cougars had to win there next round robin game to advance to the quarter final game.  To ensure we were ready to play the coaching staff called a short team meeting in the hotel that night to review the game plan moving forward and these Novice Cougars never looked back.

With the plan in place the Cougars took to the ice bright and early again, this time playing the Waterloo Timber Wolves, who were 2-0-0 in the tournament thus far. With determination, team play and a relentless forcheck the Cougars were too much for Waterloo to handle, we would go on to win 5-2.  This win would put us thru to the quarter final round, 1st in our pool and would send Waterloo home!

Our next game would be against the West London Hawks, almost 12 hours after our Waterloo game, this is a really long time to keep 7 and 8 year olds energetic and ready to go.  The long delay did not slow us down as the Cougars would score 4 unanswered goals in the 1st period to take a commanding lead.  The 2nd period turned out to be the start of penalty trouble again, to finish the game Mt. Brydges would get called 9 times and play 14 of the last 20 minutes shorthanded and 4 min short 2 men.  The refs were certainly not on our side!  We would go on to score 2 more in the 3rd period and hold on to a 6-0 win.  Off to the semi finals

Mt. Brydges would see a South Huron team ready for redemption from the Regional final, this game was going to be a tough one.  We got off to a quick start, netting 2 goals to take the lead but South Huron never quit, scoring once to cut the lead in half.  As soon as this happened you could see they were starting to get there legs, and then they scored again to tie it up.  The Cougars never quit taking the lead again 3-2 but this would not be good enough, South Huron tied it again with only a minute and half left in regulation time.  You could feel the tension in the air!  With 3 minutes gone by in OT, the puck squirted back to the point for a quick shot on net and the goalie never had a chance, we were off to the FINALS.

The stage was set... Mitchell Meteors at 2:30, the Cougars quickly regrouped and got ready to complete the quest.  Mitchell came to play, we traded chances in the 1st period at both ends with both goalies standing on their heads.  Half way thru the 2nd period the Cougars would get on the board and the crowd and bench was electric!  Fifteen seconds later we would score again to go up by 2.  Mitchell quickly called a time out and regrouped, they would cut the lead in half a minute and a half later, now we have game.  The Cougars would not get down after the goal against and battled even harder for the remainder of the game to regain the 2 goal lead early in the third.  Mitchell would not give up, they had chances to score but the Cougars goalie was a WALL and nothing was getting past him.  The final buzzer would go and we would go on to win 3-1.... International Silverstick Champions!!!

The coaching staff is extremely proud of how the Novice Rep team represented Mt. Brydges with class at this International tournament and played with determination and heart.

I would also like to thank all the families for a great experience this weekend, it will be a weekend remembered for a long time....

OMHA here we come.....