Sep 18, 2017 | Chantael Clancy | 2573 views
Minor Atom A White - Richmond Hill Tournament Champions
The
Whitby Wildcats Minor Atom A White team traveled to Richmond Hill this weekend
to play in the Mary Parkinson Memorial Early Bird Tournament and brought the
tournament Championship Trophy back to Whitby.
The Wildcats started off the tournament with a resounding 8-0 victory over the Richmond Hill Stars on Thursday with Ronan Miller notching his first shutout of the season and the team followed that win up with a tough 5-3 victory over an aggressive Newmarket Redman squad.
With the team needing one win in their final two games to secure a spot in the tournament semi-finals, the players didn’t disappoint on Saturday morning against the Aurora Tigers, coming away with a solid 3-0 as Miller notched his second straight shutout. On Saturday afternoon, the final game of the round robin saw the Wildcats face off against a fresh Markham Waxers squad playing their first game of the day. While the team battled hard throughout the game, the Waxers were relentless and came away with a well-deserved 3-1 win that helped them finish as the top place team in the round robin with the Wildcats Minor Atom A White squad finishing second.
In the tournament semifinals, the White squad faced off against the Redman on Sunday morning in a well anticipated rematch. Both squads showed up ready to play and the Wildcats came away with a 3-1 win in a well-played, hard fought and exciting game.
With the tournament championship on the line, the White team faced off against the Whitby Wildcats Blue squad, who were coming off an impressive 2-0 win over the 1st place Waxers in the other semi-final matchup. After a well-played first period, the White team came away with a 1-0 lead and another impressive period saw the White team enter the third period with a 3-1 lead. However, penalty troubles saw the White squad lose momentum with the Blue team showing resiliency and battling back to tie the game 3-3, forcing overtime.
An exciting five minute overtime featuring 3 on 3 action saw plenty of scoring opportunities but failed to produce a winner, sending the game into a three player shootout. The White squad found the net on their first two shootout attempts with the Blue squad scoring on their second attempt. With one shooter remaining, the White team failed to seal the win allowing the Blue team one last attempt to force the game into extra shooters. However, goaltender Cameron Ross continued the stellar play that he showcased throughout the game, stopping Blue’s final shot and putting the final nail in the coffin of a 4-3 Whitby Wildcats Minor Atom A White Championship victory.