The PeeWee Reps travelled to Rochester, New York to take part in the Thanksgiving Classic ‘A’ Tournament being held November 23rd – November 25th . The tournament was played out of 3 different arenas in the Rochester area. For this tournament the boys had to adjust their playing style as there was no body checking in USA Hockey.
The first game saw the Mad Dogs matched against
Suffolk PAL Pride from Long Island, New York on Friday Nov 23rd
. The Mad Dogs came out confident and
played a very tactical game with quick passing and stick handling. The stands were full of fans cheering Minto
on – the boys were adopted by a lively group of high school kids who encouraged
them throughout the whole game. At the final buzzer the Dogs were ahead with a
8-0 win. A great start to the
tournament! Way to go Boys!!
The second game was on Saturday morning, Nov 24th
against the Mercer Chiefs from New Jersey.
The PeeWee's arrived at the arena keen to get out on the ice and give it
their all. The Chiefs and Mad Dogs
battled back and forth early in the game.
Minto managed to muscle ahead of the Chiefs with a 3-0 win. Great teamwork guys!
The Mad Dogs third game saw them meet the Perinton Blades
from New York at 5:30pm Saturday Nov 24th . This game proved to be a
more physical game than the previous two. The Dogs weren't backing down from
the Blades challenge and pushed hard into the Blades end of the ice on every
shift. The boys were rewarded with a 2-0 win.
Way to go Mad Dogs!!
Sunday morning was an early start for the Minto Crew. The boy’s fourth game was at 7:10am against
the Leitrim Hawks from Ottawa. Despite
the early morning, the Mad Dogs had their game faces on and impressed their
fans with great passes and scoring opportunities. Game four ended in a 5-2 victory for the
Dogs. This win sent the Minto Mad Dogs
to the finals with a 4 - 0 record. Great
job Guys!!
The Final Game was at 3:15pm Sunday afternoon against the
Mercer Chiefs from New Jersey. The
Chiefs were back to face the Mad Dogs in what they hoped would be a reversal of
Saturday's game. Minto had their sights
set on the Championship and weren't willing to hand it over. Fans of both teams were treated to an
exciting game that kept them on the edge of their seats for the entire
game. The Dogs battled hard throughout
the game. Faced with killing off many
short handed oppurtunities the Mad Dogs remained composed and played their game
with determination. At the final buzzer,
Minto had beaten the Chiefs by a score of 2-1 making them the tournament
Champs!!!
Congratulations to the entire team – goalies, defense,
forwards and coaching staff!! Your
parents and fans are very proud of you all.
No matter where you play, it's always with class.
Proud of you all! Way
to go Mad Dogs - Rochester Thanksgiving Classic Tournament Champs!!!