Crusaders Go To Battle In Peterborough. This past weekend, the U11 Durham Crusaders LL Team set their sights on the 64th Annual Liftlock U11 (Atom) Hockey Tournament. After a big tournament championship win in Millbrook with overtime drama and a shootout victory as well as a near-top finish at the Wasaga Beach Silver Stick Regional Tournament, the Crusaders made it their mission to take on this tournament with their sights set on gold.
Game one Friday morning saw your Crusaders tackle the Peterborough Reds with a decisive victory. With a day off school, and a humble 10am game, the players were full of energy and excitement, which translated to their performance on ice. Crusaders would ultimately go on to win this game 7-0 and set a nice tone for the rest of the tournament. Shoutout on this day to our very own Hudson for 1 of 2 hat tricks in the tournament and Dylan for his first shutout of the year!
Between games, the U11 team had some time to kill and what better way than with some team-building. After a highly encouraged, but loosely followed healthy lunch as directed by the coaches, the players hit the hardwood for some 5-pin bowling for a showdown between each of the three forward lines d-men and goalies. Who won? Once the animal-shaped toddler ramps came out, we lost count.
Game two on Friday evening proved to be a much different story. Ennismore Eagles White had that same hunger for gold and would prove to be the Crusaders’ biggest challenge for the entire weekend. With the Eagles goalie standing on his head, the boys in blue had a hard time putting the puck past him. In the first period the Crusaders would go down 1-0, before gaining some strength to tie the game in the second period. They used this momentum to pull ahead 2-1 early in the third period, however the Eagles put a stop to this tying the game with less than 2 minutes to play. The Crusaders were left to settle with this result now standing at 1-0-1 in the tournament making the next game a win-win. Although the Eagles goalie stood on his head, our very own JP shut the door on an incredible amount of shots, keeping the Crusaders alive.
After a snowy drive home on Friday night, the Crusader families were thankful for a little sleep in and late-start Saturday where they would face the Peterborough Purple Panthers at 1:30pm. Thankfully everyone made it home and back to the rink safe and sound with our first big storm of the year - nothing compared to the matchup that was to come. After coming off of a 5-4 loss to Ennismore, the Panthers were sure to be a challenge for the Crusaders. The boys in blue jumped out to a commanding lead scoring two in the first and another two in the second, feeling very confident. The Panthers weren’t having it and quickly snapped back with two of their own late in the second setting up a tense third period. With the puck drop in the third period, the Panthers were on a mission to make a comeback, sensing opportunity. A quick goal saw them pull within one. The Crusaders however had been working on their defensive game as of late, which would prove to be the difference maker in this matchup. Collapsing on the shooters and shutting down passing lanes prevented most shots from getting through as the Crusaders held on for a 4-3 victory. A big shout out to one of our humble leaders Mason B who would walk away with his first hat trick of the tournament.
This defensive effort would also act as a tiebreaker with Ennismore as both teams finished the round-robin 2-0-1, yet the Crusaders would come away with fewer goals against as the number one seed in their pool and a shot at the Championship semi-final.
Game 4 turned out to be more of a test for the parents. 5am wake-up calls and a 7:15am puck drop with an hour drive down a blustery and cold HWY 115 in between, made for a lot of slow-moving fans and an unhealthy amount of caffeine. The Douro Dukes who finished first in their pool would be the next opponent. Although being a (somewhat) local team, the early start may have hit them just as hard. With only seven seconds gone in the first period, the Crusaders would put up one of their six goals of the game. This would be the story for the next 34 minutes of gametime, as the U11 Crusaders found themselves finals-bound with a 6-0 win and punching their ticket to the big dance on the main stage, taking to the ice at the home of the Peterborough Petes OHL team at the Memorial Centre.
Excitement, nerves, energy, and wonder, filled the dressing room as the players thought of playing under the bright lights and big screen. In the Championship game, the Crusaders would face a familiar foe in the Millbrook Stars - a team from their regular season matchups and as an opponent from an earlier tournament showdown. While earlier matchups ended in both decisive and nail-biting wins for the Crusaders, they weren’t sure what they would be up against this time. This Crusaders team had only one thing on their mind however - WIN! So much enthusiasm, energy and drive put the Crusaders up 1-0 in the first two minutes of the game, however, they would soon take not one but two penalties shortly after. No problem says Mason as he then would put up two short-handed goals on his own. With the start of the third period, the Crusaders were feeling good about their efforts, but knew there was plenty of game to be played…. And so did the Stars as they would notch one themselves cutting the lead to 3-1. This would be a test for the Crusaders to see if they could hold on and did they ever. Responding in just 30 seconds, the Crusaders would pull away with a 4-1 lead and didn’t look back. Adding two more in the second and three in the third period, there was not stopping this team and organization from winning their first-ever Liftlock Atom Hockey Tournament Championship. Our MVP of the game, Mason B (5G, 1A), and co-leader Hudson (3G, 2A), led the way and as a group, the Crusaders would hoist the Championship trophy and solidify memories for a lifetime. Way to go Crusaders!
A big thank you to the Liftlock Tournament organizers, and volunteers for their countless hours of work to make this weekend a success. Your Crusaders are truly grateful for the opportunity to participate this year.
-Coach Steve