The U13 Durham Crusaders Blue took the TCC by storm Sunday night as a curtain raiser for the Generals-67’s matchup that would ensue. This matchup saw the Crusaders take on Whitby U12 Selects on the Generals home ice and it did not disappoint.
The game started with the Crusaders coming out firing! With a lot of back and forth in the first period, the scoring would open with a goal late in the first period by Whitby.
When the second period started, Whitby picked up where they left off quickly potting another goal, with a third a few minutes later. Resilience would be tested with this Crusader team and they did not hesitate to rise to the occasion, quickly adding two of their own before the buzzer ended the second period.
Entering the third period, the Wildcats pounced back with one more goal which was answered by a Crusader goal in return. With a 4-3 score, intensity grew, but the Crusaders couldn’t hold off a drive from the Wildcats at 8:28 left in the third. The Crusaders wouldn’t allow any more chances but would create an incredible amount of their own. The Whitby goaltending was too solid, making it hard to get the puck past them. Crusaders would ultimately fall 5-3 to the Wildcats under the big lights.
This was just a minor hiccup in what would be a great team night out. The Crusaders cheered and jeered; they shadowboxed alongside the on-ice dust-ups, filled themselves with pizza, pop, candy, and popcorn, and enjoyed a solid Generals win that night. It was a solid team outing and one that continues to build on what has been an incredible season experience for these kids so far.
We would like to thank our sponsors for making these moments possible and creating memorable experiences for our players.
Next up: Crusaders try their hand at the Lefroy Lucky Puck tournament January 17-19 2025.