The Durham Crusaders PeeWee Blue took first overall in the Grafton PeeWee HL/LL tournament!
Missing two of their top goal scorers, the Durham Crusaders PeeWee Blue team faced off against their top rivals in the Three County League, the Lindsay Muskies White, to open up the tournament. Strong defense and solid goal tending made it so only a single goal was required to take the win, but every Crusader on the ice stepped up their game and they put 8 goals past the Lindsay team to move on to the tier 2 winners bracket.
Expecting to face the exceptionally talented Otonabee team, they were surprised to face the local Grafton Gryphons who pulled off a huge upset with an early morning win over the favored Otonabee Wolves. The Gryphons showcased their talent from the blue line with fast moving rushes from their end which resulted in several goals; however, they could not overcome the depth of skill of the Crusader team who managed to shutdown the Gryphons in the second half of the game using their back checking speed advantage from the forward lines.
The Crusaders advanced to the winners bracket to battle for the championship title against the Schomberg Red Wings. Unfortunately for Schomberg, the Crusaders were at the top of their game. Several players stepped up and filled in for our top scorers and goals were coming from all forward and defensive lines. The Red Wings battled hard and proved to be excellent opponents, but ended up falling 6 - 0 in the final.
The tournament ended quietly with no representative from the Grafton organizers, and no medals or awards issued. The team made the best if it though with a lively team picture and celebratory dinner afterwards at the East Side Mario's where they met Cobourg's own ex-NHL player Steve Smith.
Overall the team had a great time, and are now looking forward to the 2018 Bob Black tournament over the Family Day weekend.