Sep 24, 2012 | snugent | 1646 views
FINALISTS IN ESSEX
The Minor Atoms traveled to Essex on the weekend and played by far their best hockey to date. The tournament started off against the host team from Essex. The Stars got off to a slow start but then turned it on halfway through the first and cruised to an 8-1 win.
On Saturday, the first game was against the Southpoint Capitals. Southpoint played a chippy game against us, but the boys were relentless and displayed excellent discipline and won the game decisively 6-0. Little did Southpoint know that the Stars were ready for a rough game as it was pale in comparison to some of the mini stick games played in the halls of the Holiday Inn in Windsor. The afternoon game was against the Tecumseh Eagles and the Stars dominated from start to finish and won convincingly 9-1.
With solid play in the tournament, the Stars earned 1st place and a bye to the finals. The final game was against a strong Belleriver Canadiens team. The Stars outplayed the Canadiens for the first period but were down 1-0. The second period was an evenly played period that produced no goals for either side. The Stars had a bit of a letdown in the third for about 5 minutes and fell behind 2-0. With our goalie on the bench the Stars hit the score sheet with under a minute to play. Unfortunately, time ran out and we ended up on the wrong side of a 2-1 score.
The boys played a nearly flawless tournament and the coaching staff is extremely proud of all the kids. Although there were some sad faces in the dressing room after the final, the boys should be proud of their accomplishment. We can sense some confidence starting to grow and the kids are listening to what the coaches are preaching. Now we can turn our focus to the Alliance league for a while and with the same effort and commitment, I can see this team having plenty of success of this season.
Congratulations Stars and keep it going!!!