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Peewee A2 Speedos victorious in Montreal
2017-12-18
The OC Peewee A2 Speedos kept their composure for an exciting tournament victory in Montreal.
Nothing like the taste of Gatorade out of a freshly won cup.
On December 1, the Ottawa Centre Peewee A2 Speedos hit the 417 east and embarked on their first multi-day road trip of the year. The trip down was marked with excitement, nervousness about the unknown teams they would be facing, and in one case (Kim’s), a complete inability to find the town of Chambly.
As the Speedos pulled into the arena parking lot (in their respective cars) and caught a glimpse of the Barrie Colts motor coach, any fears that the players might have had were not allayed in any way. It appeared that our rag tag band of Peewee players from Ottawa would be facing a 20-player, 2-giant goalie Barrie competitive team with a bus, branded pants and branded parents.
Undaunted, the team hit the ice fast and struggled through Coach Malcolm’s incomprehensible warm-up drill without incident. As the game got going, it was apparent that the Speedos would not give an inch to the fancy Barrie Colts. The team battled extremely hard for two periods, hanging in the game and getting a massive boost when speedy winger Will Parkes raced down the wing and unleashed a laser beam the found the net. As is his way, Sam battled extremely hard in net, facing tough shots from every angle, courtesy of a skilled and well-structured Barrie team. Then, when the third period hit, the Speedos decided to rest for their next game. The final score of the game is not particularly important.
Following the game, the Speedos headed upstairs to redeem their first meal tickets on enormous chicken pot pies and pasta of some description. Afterwards, back in their personal automobiles, they wound their way through a massive tangle of highway off-ramps and university students to the beautiful Sandman Hotel and Resort, where the team regrouped for their next challenge – a slightly less branded, but still competitive team from Pickering who had been warming up at the arena for about 3 hours.
Despite their outstanding uniforms and inordinately long warm-up, the Pickering Panthers were absolutely no match for a group of Speedos with their bellies full of pot pie. With Sam slamming the door completely shut at the back end, the speedy Speedos went to work, led by Liad dancing through suburban defenders and making incredible passes to his linemates, and bolstered by the relentless forecheck of Harry and Nehemiah who pinned the Panthers in their end and never gave them space to move. And any time that the Panthers did manage to get some pressure in the Speedos end, the slick-skating Elijah would recover the puck and move it up-ice with his great break-out passes. When all was said and done, the Speedos were well-deserved 4-0 victors and Pickering began warming up for their Saturday game. All of the Speedos then went directly to bed to get some rest for the next day.
With a full day off on Saturday, the Speedos were feeling a bit hockey-deprived, so they ventured into the Metro and hit the hockey exhibit in Old Montreal. When it came time to play that night, the Speedos had visions of Maurice Richard dancing in their heads, and it showed. Against the host Chambly team, Misha was at his rushing best from the back end, sending rocket shots on net and overpowering Chambly defenders. Up front, Nick threw a blanket over the Chambly attackers with his fast and smart brand of two-way hockey and Will Brooks played what some commentators felt was his best game as a Speedo, throwing his weight around all over the ice and slipping forecheckers with Karlsson-esque ease. Of particular note was the outstanding performance of Ludo, who was a force on defence despite a lingering knee injury from the previous game and Trainer Rob’s insistent treatment of his ankle, which was of little help. Nonetheless, Ludo played his usual rock-solid game on defence, but also showed some offensive flare as he danced into the offensive end and unleashed his wicked wrist shot. Final result: Speedos 9, Chambly 2.
The big Saturday night win set up a re-match with the powerhouse Colts for the tournament championship. The kids again opted for a quiet snack and early to bed to be ready for the Barrie team.
Following a lengthy, inspiring, and at times confusing dressing room speech from Clive that was all about the power of redemption, the Speedos took to the ice with all of the chips on the line. And man were they fired up. From the opening face-off it was clear that this would be a very, very different game from the Friday game without a score. The Speedos pounced early, swarming the Barrie net in waves and slamming home the first goal. Even when the game became a see-saw battle and Colts came back to tie the game on two occasions, then went ahead, the Speedos were not swayed. They stuck to their game plan religiously and played what we now know as Speedo hockey.
While there were too many stellar performances to mention on Sunday afternoon, of particular note was the performance of the fearless Caleb, who was everywhere on the ice, stealing pucks and feeding perfect passes to his linemates. And when the team was down and feeling nervous, Owen stepped up in a huge way at centre, using his unstoppable power moves and slick hands to leave defenders in his wake. And what about Connor on his wing, whose unflinching net presence paid off with a massive go-ahead goal that sent the crowd and Coach Eric into wild hysterics. With Sam between the pipes, making a couple of massive, late-game saves to preserve the victory, the monumental task was complete.
Although they had no bus, unbranded pants and a group of parents that would win no fashion awards, the Speedos pulled together as a team and against all odds, became the Chambly tournament champions! A massive congratulations to each and every one of the kids – if that Speedos team comes to play in the BMHL Peewee A division, the rest of the league had better watch out!
As the Speedos pulled into the arena parking lot (in their respective cars) and caught a glimpse of the Barrie Colts motor coach, any fears that the players might have had were not allayed in any way. It appeared that our rag tag band of Peewee players from Ottawa would be facing a 20-player, 2-giant goalie Barrie competitive team with a bus, branded pants and branded parents.
Undaunted, the team hit the ice fast and struggled through Coach Malcolm’s incomprehensible warm-up drill without incident. As the game got going, it was apparent that the Speedos would not give an inch to the fancy Barrie Colts. The team battled extremely hard for two periods, hanging in the game and getting a massive boost when speedy winger Will Parkes raced down the wing and unleashed a laser beam the found the net. As is his way, Sam battled extremely hard in net, facing tough shots from every angle, courtesy of a skilled and well-structured Barrie team. Then, when the third period hit, the Speedos decided to rest for their next game. The final score of the game is not particularly important.
Following the game, the Speedos headed upstairs to redeem their first meal tickets on enormous chicken pot pies and pasta of some description. Afterwards, back in their personal automobiles, they wound their way through a massive tangle of highway off-ramps and university students to the beautiful Sandman Hotel and Resort, where the team regrouped for their next challenge – a slightly less branded, but still competitive team from Pickering who had been warming up at the arena for about 3 hours.
Despite their outstanding uniforms and inordinately long warm-up, the Pickering Panthers were absolutely no match for a group of Speedos with their bellies full of pot pie. With Sam slamming the door completely shut at the back end, the speedy Speedos went to work, led by Liad dancing through suburban defenders and making incredible passes to his linemates, and bolstered by the relentless forecheck of Harry and Nehemiah who pinned the Panthers in their end and never gave them space to move. And any time that the Panthers did manage to get some pressure in the Speedos end, the slick-skating Elijah would recover the puck and move it up-ice with his great break-out passes. When all was said and done, the Speedos were well-deserved 4-0 victors and Pickering began warming up for their Saturday game. All of the Speedos then went directly to bed to get some rest for the next day.
With a full day off on Saturday, the Speedos were feeling a bit hockey-deprived, so they ventured into the Metro and hit the hockey exhibit in Old Montreal. When it came time to play that night, the Speedos had visions of Maurice Richard dancing in their heads, and it showed. Against the host Chambly team, Misha was at his rushing best from the back end, sending rocket shots on net and overpowering Chambly defenders. Up front, Nick threw a blanket over the Chambly attackers with his fast and smart brand of two-way hockey and Will Brooks played what some commentators felt was his best game as a Speedo, throwing his weight around all over the ice and slipping forecheckers with Karlsson-esque ease. Of particular note was the outstanding performance of Ludo, who was a force on defence despite a lingering knee injury from the previous game and Trainer Rob’s insistent treatment of his ankle, which was of little help. Nonetheless, Ludo played his usual rock-solid game on defence, but also showed some offensive flare as he danced into the offensive end and unleashed his wicked wrist shot. Final result: Speedos 9, Chambly 2.
The big Saturday night win set up a re-match with the powerhouse Colts for the tournament championship. The kids again opted for a quiet snack and early to bed to be ready for the Barrie team.
Following a lengthy, inspiring, and at times confusing dressing room speech from Clive that was all about the power of redemption, the Speedos took to the ice with all of the chips on the line. And man were they fired up. From the opening face-off it was clear that this would be a very, very different game from the Friday game without a score. The Speedos pounced early, swarming the Barrie net in waves and slamming home the first goal. Even when the game became a see-saw battle and Colts came back to tie the game on two occasions, then went ahead, the Speedos were not swayed. They stuck to their game plan religiously and played what we now know as Speedo hockey.
While there were too many stellar performances to mention on Sunday afternoon, of particular note was the performance of the fearless Caleb, who was everywhere on the ice, stealing pucks and feeding perfect passes to his linemates. And when the team was down and feeling nervous, Owen stepped up in a huge way at centre, using his unstoppable power moves and slick hands to leave defenders in his wake. And what about Connor on his wing, whose unflinching net presence paid off with a massive go-ahead goal that sent the crowd and Coach Eric into wild hysterics. With Sam between the pipes, making a couple of massive, late-game saves to preserve the victory, the monumental task was complete.
Although they had no bus, unbranded pants and a group of parents that would win no fashion awards, the Speedos pulled together as a team and against all odds, became the Chambly tournament champions! A massive congratulations to each and every one of the kids – if that Speedos team comes to play in the BMHL Peewee A division, the rest of the league had better watch out!