From hotel mini-stick battles and belly-flops contests, to surf-n-turf
team dinners and marine exhibitions, the U11 Petawawa Patriots had a fun-filled
weekend at the Brockville Braves annual tournament.
But it was their performance on the ice that made the experience special for the young hockey team, who battled their way to the tournament finals on Sunday, taking home a silver medal in a close loss to the Cumberland Jr. Grads.
Beginning Friday, the Patriots would go on to play 5 games in the 8-team tournament. Round-robin play started with a disappointing loss to the Cumberland Jr. Grads (2-0), before the team regrouped for an important win against the St. Stormont Selects (4-1). In a tight match with S. Dundas Lions, the Patriots held on for a tie (2-2) that punched them through to the playoff round. And in what would turn out to the be the best game of their young season, the Patriots avenged a recent loss to the Brockville Braves in a 3-0 win thanks to their relentless defense, sharp goaltending and heads-up offensive play. The win staged a rematch against the Cumberland Jr. Grads. While the Patriots put up a good fight, they would go on to lose to the Grads 3-0 in a physical match, taking home the silver medals in front of a very proud group of coaches and family members.
The team won’t see any immediate rest following the action-packed weekend, as they return to regular season play with two games scheduled this week against the Muskrat Voyageur, and their first game against the Pembroke Lumber Kings on Friday night in Petawawa.
Congratulations to the team on their success in Brockville, and good luck on the rest of the season.