Happy For 2nd Place

Well "happy" may be too strong a word, but our boys played well all weekend long. Our Minor PeeWee (97) Rangers are an "AE" (Additional Entry) team with a tremendous coaching staff and an equally tremendous group of boys (the parents aren't half bad, either!). Our head coach decided, well in advance of this season, that our boys would benefit from the better competition offered by the "A" level tournaments. So, we play in an "AE" loop weekly but we participate in "A" level tournaments. (We are very fortunate to have this option!).

I don't have the words to express how incredibly proud I am of these boys this weekend. We were entered in the Owen Sound "Silver Stick" Tournament. A qualifier for future "Silver Stick" championships. Our boys worked their collective butts off. Really, really amazing. They work so well together and are so incredibly positive and supportive of each other. They played some fantastic games against solid competition. Our boys had never seen most of their competition before so no one knew what we were up against. The calibre was intense to say the least!

Cole was SOLID. A force to be reckoned with over the five games. Still a few things to tweak, but boy was he a force on the ice: clean, solid hits; great passing; great protection of his goalie, he clears the defensive zone well. He is a consistent defenceman. That's a good thing!

We met our "nemesis" in the final: Credit Valley Wolves A Team. The game we weren't expected to reach was a nail biter! Credit Valley is a well coached, well disciplined team. They were definitely the best competition of the tournament. They were in our pool. We met them, and lost on Saturday, 5-4. We met, and lost to them today. 2-1. Great games, both of them.

Other than the hockey games, ostensibly the "purpose" of the trip, it was a hoot getting to know the kids and the parents on Cole's hockey team a bit better. The sibs all get along so well. After all, we brought all of our kids up to stay at the Blue Mountain resort (okay, resort in the '70s-'80s! - a bit of an overstatement today) and hang out at the Inn with all the other teammates. As Claire would say: "fun times, fun times". Much alcohol was consumed, much laughter was heard, much genuine enjoyment had by all. We drove from Blue Mountain (Collingwood) to Owen Sound each morning and our caravan of vehicles would overwhelm the first Tim Horton's on the road - in Thornbury - with our orders of coffee, hot chocolate, bagels and breakfast sausages! The evenings spent enjoying the mini-stick tournament and cocktails in the 5th floor hallway. A whole new world for me. It's a hoot and a ton of fun.

Thrilled with the result. Glad to be home. Next tournament in December, stay tuned :)