Bantam B1 Finalist Kingston March Break Tournament

Winning has not come easy for the Bantam B1 team this year.  Which is not to say that they haven’t had their share of victories, as they finish their regular season in 7th place out of 24 teams.  But it has not been an easy road that they have travelled.  They have no “certified stars” and only two second year Bantams.  What they have found though, is an ability to grind, persevere, overcome and outwork their competition, under the coaching direction of Gloucester’s “winningist” coach, Gilles Delangis and assistants Marc Lauzon and Ron Dray.

Such was the case this weekend at the Kingston and Area Minor Hockey Association, March Break Tournament, where the boys brought their lunch boxes and got to down to some heavy lifting.  First winning 2-0 against the host team Kingston, with excellent efforts from Cole, Benny, a fantastic top shelf goal from their Captain Luc  and the usual goalie clinic from Cody.  Affiliate Thom as well made the journey to Kingston and made the team better for it.  Patrick started between the pipes in the second game against local rivals Blackburn, and the team did not disappoint in their work effort.  Ryan stepping up his game to a new level with tenacity and made chances happen, Alex held firm on the blue line eating up loose pucks and spitting them out.  But it was a goalies game, and as both held firm, it ended in a 0-0 tie.   

Some days, you have rhythm of play, and some days, you have to work really, really hard for it.  In the third game against Kanata a win or tie was necessary to advance to the Semi-Finals -- there could be only one and you could cut the tension in the air with a knife.  Down 2-0 after the second period on the Olympic size ice and Kanata tasting certain victory and a semi-final spot, the boys didn’t get their break until the end of the second, when a slapper from Zach found its way past an out of position Kanata goalie, right onto Benny’s stick and into the back of the net.  Kanata battled back though, and for the next either minutes, Cody and the defensive Corp. led by Alternate Captain Colin, built a wall and weathered the storm, finally springing out a final advance by the Cougars with less than 40 seconds left in the game.  Cody making his way to the bench, the extra attacker was thrown onto the deck and in what can only be described as a hockey “Hail Mary”, the boys crashed the zone with Benny, Luc and Alternate Captain Nicholas leading the charge.  Bodies flew, battles ensued, positions were won, and with time quickly running down, one final push was made towards the blue paint.  Through what was sheer will, the puck found Luc’s stick at the side of the net and without a moments hesitation, he lifted it home between the Kanata goalie and post and into the back of the net.  Unbelievably, the clock struck 11.2 seconds left in the game and that was all she wrote for the Kanata team.  With the game tied, the Cougars advanced.

Celebration again ensued that night, with a Birthday Cake for Luc.  Yes, you can in fact get 37 people and a lit cake into a single hotel room at the Kingston Travelodge!  Beware of the smoke detector though.  

The new day brought the Semi-Finals against Cumberland, the winner of the A pool.  With the close call the previous evening, parental nerves were a little strained, but the boys rose to the challenge and 4 minutes into the first period, Cody blasted a howitzer from the blue line that found the back of the net.  Cumberland did not finish first in their pool by chance though, and so on a Power Play a short time later, scored to even it out.    The Gloucester valve had been opened though, and with excellent play by Zach, Sam, Nicholas and Luc, and a strong and steady defense, they pressed on, first going up a goal on a great individual effort from Benny, and then closing the door with a third and a fourth goal in their best game of the tournament, to make their way into the Finals against the second Kanata team, the Blazers.  

What can be said about the final game.  The boys battled, they warred.  And yet, the Kanata team was superior on this day.  Scoring in the first period, the Kanata team orchestrated a mid-ice trap that shut down the Gloucester forwards and continually pressed into the defensive zone.  Outstanding play by goalies Cody and Patrick and by the defensive Corp. of Colin, Cole, Cody and Alex who held Kanata off, but as the final bell sounded, the score was 2-0.   Losing in the finals is never easy, but the boys never stopped until the last buzzer sounded and showed great character and class in congratulating the Kanata Blazers.  They left nothing on the ice.   

And so ended a great Kingston Tournament for the boys, but not yet the journey of their season together.  Next stop, the GHA Play-off’s!

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