Feb 09, 2016 | Evan VanSickle | 1457 views
Tier 1 to date...
The Sarnia Sting Novice Tier 1 has completed their tournament schedule and regular season and are gearing up for a long playoff run.
The team finished the regular season with a win over the London Nationals to finish in 3rd place. The regular season had its ups and downs but the team seems to have come together at the end which sits just fine with the coaching staff.
As expected, strong goaltending was the backbone of the season. We have seen great development from our defensemen who have completely bought in to what the coaches have been showing them all season. In the beginning of the season, goal scoring seemed to be limited to a few sources but since has been dispersed. The forwards have been working to get open and nice passing plays are resulting in some nice goals from the wingers. The regular season has been a warm up for the what's the most important part of the season; the playoffs!
In 4 tournaments this season, the team has finished 1st once and 2nd twice. The lone tournament win came in November in Barrie where the team captured the Novice A championship obtaining a 6-0 record.
In December, the Sting entered the Silver Stick Regional in Parkhill. A 2-1 record in round robin sent the team to the finals against the archival Bandits. Once again the Bandits got the better of the Sting notching a 2 goal victory to win the title. The appearance in the final qualified the Sting for the International Silver Stick Finals in St. Clair Shores in January.
Prior to the Silver Stick Finals, the team entered their first AA tournament at the Preston International in Cambridge. The team showed extremely well in their first AA tournament going 3-0 in the preliminary games. In the quarter finals the team lost a close game to Kitchener and were eliminated from a tournament for the first time in their short careers.
In late January the team went to St. Clair Shores and again had a strong showing with an all too familiar result. A clean run to the finals lined up yet another Championship game against the Bandits. Unfortunately the team looked comfortable finishing behind the Bandits and finished their tournament schedule in another 2nd place finish. This game was a turning point for the team.
Returning to regular season play, the Sting defeated a strong opponent in Stratford and then the Nationals to close out the season. The playoffs started with a strong 3-0 win over Stratford and set up yet another contest with the Bandits.
In what was easily the best game that the team has played, the Sting finally got the biggest monkey off their back, or has coach Mike has described, slayed the dragon that is the vaunted London Bandits. The game finished 5-2 but was controlled by the Sting from start to finish. Both the boys and the parents celebrated a huge win as the Bandits have had an unblemished record in league play since the start of the 2014 season; but there is still work to do.
The Sting will continue their playoff run over the course of the next month and a half, hoping to build off their recent success. Congratulations boys on a good season up until now, but there is still work to do. Good luck in the playoffs!!