51st Annual Gene Harrington Tournament Champions, News (Saugeen Shores Minor Hockey)

The U13B Team sponsored by the Port Elgin Legion, travelled to Buffalo New York January 19th to take part in the 51st Annual Gene Harrington Winter Classic.  This tournament featured games at the outdoor complex at the Riverworks facility. The hours leading up to the tournament were filled with uncertainty, and even some tension, as our team was notified 48 hours before the tournament that we would be competing in a higher division, facing off against “A” Centres from across the Province and New York State. Furthermore, Buffalo was facing a blizzards and frigid conditions, with complete travel bans that even saw the NHL game on Wednesday January 17th postponed.

The weather, and last minute schedule changes were no match for this STORM team.  Game one featured an 8am faceoff with the U13 Guelph Gryphon’s A team.  This was an early wake up call, which saw Storm battle through to gain a 2-1 victory.  For game two, the team battled against the U13 Milton Winterhawks A Team. A disciplined game plan saw a 3-0 win.  Friday afternoon’s round robins games rounded out with Storm as the only undefeated team in our division, and secured a birth in the play off round, with one final round robin game to go. 

 

With frigid temperatures, and a 7:30am start time, lots of preparations went into keeping the players and spectators comfortable for this game.  Parents and coaching staff prepared hand and feet warmers, extra layers, skate guards and eye blank to combat the elements in Buffalo.  Playing on the smallest ice surface to date, with miserable weather, and sloppy ice conditions, the game vs. Niagara Falls Flyers A  ended in a 2-2 tie.  Despite this, Storm locked in a first place finish in the division. 

 

While we waited for the remainder of the division to battle for the final play off positions, our group of 47 took over section 311 of the Key Bank Centre to watch the Buffalo Sabers take on the Tampa Bay Lightning.  This was the icing on the cake to top off an unforgettable experience for these young players.  Late in the afternoon we received word we would face off against the 4^th place team, South Simcoe Storm A in the first Semi Final.  The games were running behind schedule, and the team took to the ice for their semi final game after 8pm, a staggering 12 hours after our early morning game. Despite drawing the 4^th place team, we met our literal match with our opponents, both in skill and in name (also named “Storm”). Three periods solved nothing, as we found ourselves locked in a 1-1 tie.  We progressed through 5 rounds of Overtime to settle this match.  With 1:07 remaining in the 8^th period, Saugeen Shores Team came out victorious. The seventh and eighth periods were played WITHOUT goalies. The stands were full of hockey fans who had never seen anything quite like this. An extraordinary effort, displaying grit and sheer determination to earn a spot in the final.

 

This being our fourth tournament of the season, our team had successfully reached all four finals, each one proving more dramatic than the last. October saw a Championship in the Shallow Lake Classic.  November saw an OT loss to South Huron Sabres in OT.  December saw a semi final shoot out, and a double OT loss in the finals as well.  Players, coaches and spectators alike were all hoping for a less nerve wrecking experience, as we once again took to the outdoor ice surface at Riverworks in Buffalo.  This final saw a rematch with the Guelph Gryphon’s. Under much more desirable conditions (11am with some sunshine in the forecast), Saugeen Shores finished the tournament with a strong 2-1 victory.  Saugeen Shores Storm was named Champion of the 51^st Annual Gene Harrington “A” Division.

 

U13 Storm B was honoured to bring the trophy back to Canadian soil. This was an experience that will be etched in their memories for years to come.  This team represented our association and community with dignity earning the respect of formidable opponents.  Thank you to the coaching staff, and all of the fans who made the journey to help earn this championship.

 

You can catch the U13B teams next home game vs. Mid Huron Huskies Sunday January 28^th at 1:15pm @ the Coliseum, in a battle for the WOAA Tier 1 regular season title.