This past weekend, the U15BB West London Hawks participated in
and WON the 12-team Glancaster Bombers Veterans Memorial Tournament in Hamilton!
The team opened the tournament Friday morning with a 6-1
loss to the Erindale Spitfires. After a quick regroup and some soul searching,
they rebounded to dominate the Elmvale Coyotes 6-2 in their evening game. As
the weekend progressed, the players started to increasingly believe in themselves,
figuring out various ways to win hockey games. They beat a pesky George Bell
Titans team 2-1 Saturday morning with a late marker, paving the way for a
quarter final berth Saturday night against a strong host team.
The Hawks came out flying, dominating the Glancaster Bombers
from start to finish with a lopsided 6-2 win. This set the stage for a rematch
Sunday morning in the semi final against the Erindale Spitfires. After falling
behind early, the Hawks battled back to take a third period lead, 3-2. Erindale
tied the game on a late powerplay setting the stage for some OT drama. Two
shifts into the 3 on 3 OT, the Hawks won it and were on their way to the final!
With the threat of a snowy drive home, the Hawks vowed not
to leave the rink without the trophy in hand. They didn’t disappoint. It was a hard-fought
battle against a rough St. Thomas Stars team who the Hawks had not previously
beaten. Tied 2-2 after the second period, the Hawks would not be denied. Their power
play made the Stars pay twice in the third period leading to a 4-2 victory.
Congratulations to Justin, Keegan, Evan, Ryder,
Leo, Lake, Brock, Paul, Everett, Nash, Jordan, Kale, Carter, Liam, Ben and
Adam! It is hard to win a championship and you guys did it!