Over and out
Submitted By jjohnston on Sun 03 25, 12
Our Atom AE Stars finished off our year losing in the B finals to a very determined Mooretown team. At the start of the year if you had told me that we would make it all the way to the B finals, and still be playing meaningful hockey at the end of March, I would have taken it in a heartbeat.
Game 2 went Saturday in Mooretown, and the hockey Gods were up to their old tricks again. With Markus Thompson away on vacation, our other goalie Rhett Devries caught the flu Friday night and was unable to go. Jared Parkin, who usually plays left wing, bravely stepped forward and volunteered to play goal for us. He did a fantastic job, and made some spectacular saves. Unfortunately, our offence was shut down again, and we lost game 2, but Jared got more comfortable as the game progressed and actually got a shutout in the third period.
Game 3 went Sunday at home, with Rhett back in the crease, in a must win situation. Mooretown would not be denied as they pulled off a 3-1 win to win the championship. Our boys played well, and certainly have nothing to hang their heads over. Tyler Johnston scored our only goal on a penalty shot after a Mooretown player put his hand on the puck in the crease, and he made a nice last second move to change his angle of attack and tuck it past the goalie. That tied it at one, but it was all we could muster on this day.Basically, I think everyone just ran out of gas, as this was the most hockey most of these boys have ever played in one season.
All in all, we had a really good season, and it was my great honour to have coached the boys this year. I enjoyed the journey, and it was very gratifying to see how far the gang came individually and as a team. For being such a young team, with only 3 players who had played competitive hockey before, we came a long way, and have laid a great foundation for next year when this team will be mostly major atom players. We will miss Darryn, Alex, Talbot, Sammy, Mason, Jackson and Markus who will be moving up to peewee ( keep your heads up boys! ), and we wish them all the best in their seasons next year. I would also like to thank Joe, Wayne, Marc and Dave for stepping up and helping me greatly with the team when it was not certain that there would be an AE team this year. Finally I would like to thank the parents for all your support and dedication to the team, it helped make it an enjoyable experience for all of us. Nobody can predict the future, but I will reflect fondly on the past when I think of this team, and all of the ups and downs that we experienced together. It's the hills and valleys that make the ride fun, and I am confident in saying that when the boy's left the dressing room today after the final game, I know they had fun this year. In the end, that's what it is all about. Great season boys! Over and out.