04/28/2019
Hello Warrior fans!!!
I've never had such a difficult game report to write, because words simply cannot do justice to the pride and joy that I feel for these kids and that I know you do too. But as one who likes to talk and write long emails ;), I'll do my best.
*Note: if you thought the game was long, have a seat to read this email!
Game 1
NE Eagles 4
Warriors 1
The day started with a round robin playoff game against a strong NE Eagles team. We knew we were in tough, especially given that our team was 4-0 and were feeling confident, perhaps a little too much actually. NE came out flying with the pedal to the medal and ~10 minutes in it was 4-0. Just like that, we were down. For the first time this weekend the kids were behind and there was some frustration on the bench. Knowing it would be hard to overcome a 4 goal deficit, we took to the dressing room after the first with the goal of calming the troops. It worked.
The second period saw a 0-0 tie and we outplayed our opponents. The third was more of the same and with less than a minute left Ben streaked down the right side, got a shot on net and Jayden put home the rebound to break the goose egg. We won. the third period 1-0. And that was what we needed for the rematch - confidence that we could do it.
It was during the second period though that Ella Meade turned to me and said we are going to kick their 'bums' ;) in the championship game. I knew right then that we were going to be a different team in the Gold Medal Game.
Gold Medal Game
Warriors 3
NE Eagles 2
5 OT
The ultimate rubber match having 3 wins and 3 losses against NE during the year. A game 7 played for provincial gold, you couldn't have written a better script.
Now that was a game. Oh. My God. An OT winner by Isaac White, 3 minutes and 11 seconds into the EIGTH period, yup, 5 OVERTIME PERIODS! We played for an incredible 88 minutes and 11 seconds. That was almost 3 regular season games!!!
We started slow and were quickly down 2-0 in the first. We tried to keep the kids calm because we knew we could do it and at the end of the first, Coach Todd reminded me that we still had 30 minutes left (little did we know how long we actually had left!) which was the same time as a regular season game. That became the basis for our dressing room talk as the ice was cleaned. We asked the kids how much time was left and how may goals we scored in that same 30 minutes during our last game in Paradise against the Eagles - the answer was 5. The lightbulbs went off - we had plenty of time. If we could score 5 in 30 we could sure as heck score 2!
We hit the ice and our kids came out flying. Ella Meade with the dump in and Preston Maxwell on the puck to pot our first and it was 2-1. The energy was palpable on the bench and we had them on the ropes. Not 3 minutes later Evan Kelly (who played amazing this week) potted our second and we were all tied up. We kept the pressure on and into the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th periods, we deserved to win, no doubt about it.
Captain Zach hit a post, Jack Carter and Isaac White both hit the crossbar. It was a matter of time.
As the game went on, our kids were tired and fatigue, both physical and mental set in. They are kids after all and that long of a game would've been hard on any of us. I won't get into that here, I'll focus on the positive, but we were all very concerned for the kids. With many scenarios floating around in my head and a focus on trying to keep the kids safe, there was a turning point. Evan Kelly looked up at me during one of the OT periods and said, "Coach, no matter what, DO NOT FORFEIT THIS GAME." Here was a kid who was skating on an injured leg and had to take a timeout during the game telling ME not to throw in the towel. Evan, you may not know it, but you are a leader my boy.
We kept going. Now I didn't see the game winner by Isaac, but I wasn't surprised, he had a great game. Truth be told I didn't see much of the final couple of periods - ALL the coaches were focused on the kids at that point. I heard cheers, I looked up and Coach Norris was jumping up and down. With that, it hit me. I hugged the Manly Man Norris ;), and it was over....finally. After a gruelling, emotion-filled, action-packed game that went into the 8th period, the Warriors were Provincial Champions!!!
But let's rewind. Before we won the game, we told the kids that no matter what happened, all the coaches, parents, family and friends were proud of them and that they were all winners, regardless of what the final score was. And this is also where I tip my hat to the NE Eagle kids. In my humble opinion, both groups of kids deserved a gold medal. They are ALL Champions. 8 periods played by 10 year olds. Unreal.
Joy, happiness, pride and lets be honest, relief. The game was over and we will forever be known as the champions of an Atom Gold Medal game that went to 8 periods. All of our kids played their hearts out and we couldn't be more proud. A group of kids that gelled as team, won as a team, lost as a team and hopefully have great memories and some life lessons to look back on.
Well folks, it's been a great year. Thank you to all the parents, grandparents, family, friends and coaches of these kids for making this a memorable and enjoyable experience for all. Words can't express how grateful I am for this experience of a lifetime. A great group, a great team and most important of all, great memories. I only wish we could do it all again...
And that's a wrap!
Coach
Go Warriors Go!!!
