Nov 11, 2014 | atomae | 1262 views
Tillsonburg Tournament
The Atom AE team headed to the Bob Tansley Memorial Tournament in Tillsonburg this past weekend.
With a four game guarantee, the boys were ramped up to take enough wins to secure a berth in the final championship game on Sunday.
Having their first game scheduled for Friday afternoon, the Jr Flags faced off against their local rival, the Petrolia Oilers. Even though the opponent only fielded a dozen players, the boys knew they could not underestimate them. Although, Mooretown started the game flat-footed, they were able to turn on the juice as the game went on with just enough firepower to win by a close score of 2-1.
Saturday morning saw some weary eyes leave the Comfort Inn in Ingersoll for a 800 showdown against the Delhi Rockets. Considering that they did not have a very good regular season record, the local team showed the Jr Flags that they were ready to play some hockey despite the early start time. Both goalies put on a clinic having shaken the sand out of their eyes backstopping their teams to a 0-0 draw.
The next game was scheduled for a few hours later so the boys were kept away from the pool resorting in a mass Minecraft game sucking the life out of the hotel wi-fi system. Regardless, their behaviour was commendable as they rested their legs for a 130 start to game three.
A hot and tournament undefeated Tillsonburg Tornadoes team lay in waiting for the Flags. A pre-game scouting report revealed that the local favourite thought the Flags were going to be an easy team to beat. Mooretown would prove them wrong winning the game with its speed and passing game by a score of 3-1 which secured the Jr Flags a place in the final on Sunday. The opponent, however, was still to be determined.
Having played all of their scheduled Saturday games, the leashes were taken off the players and they would certainly take advantage of it. The pool was their first destination where they created a fury not having been seen since the likes of hurricane Sandy. Next on their list were the hotel halls and guestrooms which provided the entertainment for the rest of the afternoon. A team supper was organized and Crabby Joes was gracious enough to accommodate most of the team. With another early game on the horizon, some parents would hit the hay early while others did not…….causing them to feel some pain on Sunday.
The Ennismore Eagles were the final round robin team to play before the final. Again, it was another 800 game and the AE’s displayed that they were not an early morning team. It took a couple of periods to get Mr Sandman off their backs before they finally took control of the game winning 4-2.
At the same time as that win, the Jr Flags final opponent was finalized on the adjoining ice. As luck would have it (or not),the Petrolia Oilers was the team they would face at 1230.
Prior to the game, the boys were psyched mentally and seemed to have lots of energy despite the busy weekend with early morning games. Having come close to winning the recent Mooretown Tournament, the team wanted to finally pull the trigger on a tournament championship.
As the game got underway, it was obvious to everyone that even though the Oilers had a shortened bench, it was not going to be an easy task to win. Petrolia seemed to have the advantage with energy but Mooretown held their own skating and passing well getting some quality chances on net. Unfortunately, as the game moved on, the wheels would fall off the Jr Flag’s bus. The opponent grabbed a couple of goals quickly snatching away any of the Flags mental momentum. With the chins dropping and the smiles vanishing combined with some penalty kills and player injuries, the Oilers hammered more goals home as the team watched in disbelief ultimately losing the game 7-1.
As disappointing as the final outcome was, the boys should be proud of being a finalist earning their way to the championship game with a respectable record of 3-0-1. It was however, another hard loss for them to take coming so close to once again taking a title. At the end of the day though, part of winning is also learning about how to act like a true sportsperson holding your chin high and respecting an opponent who played the better game. They did just that after accepting their finalist medals.
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