What a great weekend of comeback hockey for the boys of the BANTAM AE TEAM.
We came out flat on Friday, losing both games and two players. Preston Hathaway suffered an upper body injury during the first game against the Flamborough Sabres. Ash O’Connor suffered our second upper body injury of the tournament during the second game against the Whitby Wildcats.
Ending up at the bottom of the pack, which is not a position we are use to being in, nor did we like it. All that changed on Saturday morning as the teams were seeded after the two games. The St THOMAS JR STARS BANTAM AE BOYS ALL and I stress ALL, dug in their heels and were rewarded with a win over the forth seeded team, the Brampton Sharp Shooters. The boys showed a lot of heart and determination, there was no way they were willing to go home yet. Giving the team a good boost of moral were the GREEN MORPH MEN of ST THOMAS. You guys really gave some great inspiration and fun to the TEAM. Mackenzie and Nick; you are really two cooool guys with a lot of spirit.
Cole Sonier did an amazing job in net, not letting the Brampton Sharp Shooters light up the red. Each player gave it their all, 110%. Great job team, you really gave the fans something to cheer for.
Now on to the SEMI-FINALS!!!
The BANTAM AE TEAM were pumped and ready to fight back against the number one seeded team, the Whitby Wildcats, who beat the STARS 8-0 in their first matchup. Matt Beckwith said he knew he did wrong on Friday and knew what he had to do. He was right; Matt had an absolutely phenomenal game. He was confident between the pipes from the moment the first whistle blew, to the very last buzzer signalling the game WIN over a very shocked and outplayed Whitby team. Matt received the very well deserved “MVP” award of the game.
Missing three key players from the roster due to injury meant that the rest of the TEAM had to step up, and step up they did. Down to four defensemen, Tysen Hunter, Carson Nurse, Sam Graham and Noah Allen did everything they could to prevent the Wildcats from getting to the net. They took a beating and came out sore at the end of the game, but kept the pressure on turning away puck after puck.
We scored first setting the tone for the rest of the game. Nick Love stick handled past a very tough defence line and surprised the goalie with a hard shot thru the five hole. Nick got a second goal on the day and then Nick was injured early in the second period, leaving our remaining forwards with the task of holding the lead. Ryan Payne grabbed another goal in the game giving the STARS a hard fought earned win of 3-2. Each one of them worked their own magic from stick handling, to deking, to fancy footwork and never giving up. Noah Dos Santos, Cameron Douglas, Ryan Payne, Lane Westgate, Josh Hare, Matt Crump, and Mackenzie Parkin, I congratulate you on a job well done.
The BANTAM AE TEAM deserved the win in this game outplaying the Wildcats!!! CONGRATS boys and good luck in the CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS!!!
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS HERE WE GO!!!!
Congratulations to all for their great effort! We may have lost the final game but the boys played well and should be proud of their efforts. The game was close right until the final period. The boys battled back to within one goal but just didn’t have enough left in the tank to hold on, losing 6 to 3 at the end of the buzzer. The highlights of the tournament definitely occurred on Saturday when they fought their way into the FINAL match on Sunday.
CONGRATS BOYS!!!! CAN`T WAIT TO SEE YOU PLAY THE NEXT GAME!!!
GO STARS!!!