The Whitby Midget AA Wildcats won their second tournament of the season this past weekend at the 22nd annual Glen Bellerby Memorial tournament in Barrie. The Wildcats defeated Lakeshore League rivals Ajax Knights, 4-1 in the final to claim the championship. CTV News Barrie covered the game and provided an excellent hi-light package on their News at 11 (http://barrie.ctvnews.ca/video?clipId=1026322&binId=1.1476789&playlistPageNum=1) - coverage begins at 16:30.
The Wildcats began their run to the final with a solid 4-2 victory over the Hamilton Huskies, a formidable opponent who the Wildcats had already faced in the final of the Best of the Best tournament in October. Next up, the Belle River Canadiens fought the Wildcats to a 1-1 draw in a tightly contested, hard checking affair. Day two of the tournament saw Whitby pitted against the 2-0 Mississauga Terriers. The Terrier's proved no match for the Wildcats aggressive forecheck and the result was a lopsided 6-0 victory. The final game of the preliminary round had the Wildcats facing off against the Aurora Tigers. The Wildcats dominated Aurora in possession and zone play, but were unable to capitalize on their opportunities and Aurora's two power play goals secured the victory for the Tigers.
Despite the loss to Aurora, the Wildcats finished pool play as the three seed and once again faced off against the Mississauga Terriers. The Terriers came out with a much stronger effort this time but were unable to put anything past goaltender Corey Kuypers who recorded his second shut-out of the tournament in a 2-0 win, advancing his team to the championship. In the tournament final, the Wildcats faced their local rivals the Lakeshore League leading Ajax Knights. Whitby came at the Ajax squad hard right from the drop of the puck with a relentless forecheck that has been the hallmark of their success all season long. Timely scoring by Avery Grande, Carson Johnston, and Spencer Robinson along with solid team defense was all that Whitby needed to secure the championship.
