The Soo Jr. Greyhounds (“Hounds”) entered the U12 AAA
International Silver Sticks in Whitby with a very difficult field of teams. The
25 teams were spread across five (5) divisions, each division containing five
(5) of the top teams in Ontario and throughout the USA. The Hounds division
included the two (2) time defending champion North York Rangers and other
highly competitive teams.
The 25-team field included many of the top teams in Ontario
and the USA. Only the five (5) division
winners and three (3) overall wildcards would be permitted to advance to the
quarterfinals.
Game 1, the Hounds drew an extremely difficult matchup in
the North York Rangers, top team in North America. North York would go on to be crowned the
International Silver Sticks champs for the 3rd year in a row, having won in
2021 for U10AAA, 2022 for U11AAA and 2023 for U12AAA. The Hounds would like to have this game back
after tough losing of 10-0.
In Game 2, the Hounds had to re-focused as they faced off
against a strong Lambton Jr Sting team for the third time this season. Hounds went down 3-1 in the first period but fought
back in the second and third period to tie the Jr Stings for a 3-3 final.
In Game 3, the Hounds were faced off against the another highly
competitive team in Ontario, Elgin Middlesex Canucks. The Hounds controlled the
play for most of the game but still needed to mount a late comeback to tie the
game at 3. The Hounds continued to press for the winning goal in the final
minutes but could not get the coveted fourth goal. Another 3-3 final.
In Game 4, the Hounds still had a small chance at the quarterfinals
but would need a complete team effort to win against the 10th ranked York
Simcoe Express. The Hounds had their most complete game of the tournament and
scored the last five (5) goals of the game to beat York Simcoe 6-2, helping
their chances for a wild card position in the playoffs and placing them second
in their division behind North York.
On Saturday night the Hounds players anxiously tracked the
last few matchups and scores to see if they would make the quarterfinals. Unfortunately,
they missed out even though the only loss was to the 3 time champs, North York
Rangers. Overall, the weekend was a
successful tournament for the Hounds and they are looking forward to the Notre Dame
Shoot-Out just before the Christmas break.