On Friday March 21st the U13 Blue Team took a moment to look back on their season with and end of year banquet at Bardown Restaurant in Iroqouis Park Sports Complex
But before this, they had one final job to do. A late addition exhibition versus Orono Leafs was on the menu, as the Crusaders looked to finish on a high note. This was a game where the Crusaders looked to have a little fun. And that’s exactly what happened. By jumpin ahead quickly in the score in the first period, by the time the horn went the Crusaders were up 4-1. And so began the position changes. Gradually, defense were appearing as wingers, and centreman were finding themselves on the blue line. by the end of the second period the Crusaders continued to play with a little swagger inflating the score to 7-1. By the third period the entire defensive lineup were forwards and every single defenseman was playing forward. With some interesting faceoff draws and some aggressive defensive (forward) pinching, the Crusaders were able to net one more.
Thank you to Orono for making the trip down for this exhibition game on such short notice!
Off the Baaaaaaaa! Thank you Bardown for hosting and making this such an enjoyable night and fitting way to cap off the season.
At our banquet dinner, we indulged, we spotlighted and we shared stories on what was an incredibly fun year with these players.The team finished the regular season in third place overall behind the ultimate playoff winners: U13 Green and their finalist opponent: Highland Blue. Including tournaments, the Crusaders final record was 28-14-6. Across 5 tournaments, the Crusaders made it to extra rounds every single time, concluding with a silver medal finish in Newmarket. There were 194 goals for, and 103 goals against. Our penalty kill was at a cool 85.39%....... We won’t talk about our powerplay……
A huge thank you goes out to all of our sponsors who made this experience possible. This included funding for our tournaments, practice gear and team building moments - some which our players won’t forget!! Thank you to our parents for getting the kids to the rink and to the coaches for their direction in guiding these young player through a challenging and rewarding season. These kids took nothing for granted and earned every bit of their success. Well done, gentlemen!
Bring on 2025-2026!