Dec 31, 2018 | Mark Robbins | 302 views
Christmas Tournament
Hello Team and Parents, What a successful Tournament that turned out to be!! Our 1st game against Teal was a nail biter, we started off fast with a goal 30 seconds in. We would build up a 3-0 lead but let them come back to tie the game at 3-3. Our goalie was solid in net and took away numerous scoring chances by Teal. The 3rd period started quick for Teal as they scored just 30 seconds in, but after a quick talk with our goalie Ryson would tie the game 10 seconds later!
After exchanging goals during the rest of the period Ben would put the game winning goal in the net with just under 2:00 minutes to play. Finally we put together a complete game with all lines contributing and no one getting frustrated! Our next game would be against the Grey team, a team that was looking for their 1st win. Grey started fast scoring just :37 seconds in and would build up a 3-0 lead before we would show some resilience and popped in 2 goals before the end of the period. Grey would add to their lead and make it a 4-2 game, but Blue would not go down without a fight and tied the game with goals from Jaxon and Ben. With 1 minute left Grey would once again score to complete their victory. These first 2 games would show our team that we have turned a corner and have found what it takes to win and be competitive! The 3rd game would match us up against the White team, who were looking for their 1st win of the tournament. Again our goalie would show our team that he has their backs as he started the game strong with save after save! His net minding would inspire our teams offense as Mateo and then Renzo would pound home goals and the period would end with us up 2-1. White came out strong themselves in the 2nd period and tied the game at 2 before Mateo again scored but the period would end all tied up at 3. The 3rd period kept our fans on the edge of their seats with the game going end to end with both goalies standing strong. Finally as the clock was down to 1:45 to play, Ryson would net the game winner and James would shut down White for our 2nd win!! I believe that our team has found out that not getting frustrated during the game but instead turning that frustration into a calm , cool and level headed approach has turned us into a team that will only get better and will be hungry for more wins as this is just the tip of the iceberg! Being 2-1 so far in the tournament put us in a position that if we win our 4th game we would go to the finals. Our opposition would be the Green team who were on a roll themselves. This game would be a nail biter as well, Mateo would start off the scoring at just 9:16 and then a weird play occurred as the puck got stuck in Jaxons skate , if he could have just skated down the ice and slid into the net, it would have been beautiful!! We would build up a 3-1 lead but Green would storm back to tie it, and end the 1st period. This was a fast paced game that would see each team have leads during the game but the 2nd period would end with a 6-6 tie. The 3rd period was just as much fun but Green would prove to be the better team on that day and the final tally would be Green 9 and Blue 6. This tournament saw us be in control of our emotions and that resulted in us playing the way that we are capable of and start to win!! Going forward I would like the parents to encourage our players to continue what they have started with this newly found patience on the ice and commitment to a positive attitude both on the ice and off!! We are extremely proud of our players and the way they handled themselves both on the ice and on the bench, they truly showed a true team commitment and professional attitude that showed on the ice as they had reeled off 2 big wins and overall 4 exciting hockey games that were fun to be a part of! When I am on the bench and actually hear the players talking about how much fun they are having, I break out in a ear to ear grin because that is what I signed up for, thank you team!! Now for some information, the Sarnia hockey association has put together a skills development clinic starting on Jan 25th and runs through until March 15 from 4-5 pm every FRIDAY NIGHT, the cost is $110 per player, space will be limited so keep watching the website for registration. As for the players who are going to the Legionnaires flag skate game it is on Jan 17th, please meet James and myself at 6:30 pm at the front doors to the Sarnia arena. As for our OHL EXP it is coming up on Jan 11th , if you have not given myself money for the tickets please let me know at this weeks practice be cause the final date is the 4th of January that I have to have the #s and I will have to pay that day, I will also bring the time and location where we will meet but I believe it is 4:15 inside gate 1 lower level. See everyone at practice. GO VIPERS GO!! Coach Mark