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 4th 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 4th 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 8th 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 51st 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 28th at 1:15pm @ the Coliseum, in a battle
for the WOAA Tier 1 regular season title.