Mar 13, 2017 | dguizetti | 2135 views
A Year to Remember
It is hard to believe that the 2016-2017 hockey season is now over. It just seems like yesterday that these young men were selected to be a part of the '07 Phi Dental Care Soo Jr Greyhound family. Let's take a look back to when we had green grass and it all began.
Going into our first season as the Phi Dental Care Soo Jr Greyhounds, the coaching staff's main goal was to strive to create a fun environment to where the kids would want to be at the rink to grow and develop as hockey players and young men. We did not focus on championships and banners, it was more on developing the skills and tools for the future.
Our adventure began right after the highs and lows of the tryout process, and the 17 hardest working young men were chosen to represent the red and white. They earned their spot to be a part of this team and they would not look back.
Next it was the parents turn to represent and start to build the financial foundation for the team and it's identity. Through the stresses and planning throughout the summer, Dr Lawrence Chong of Phi Dental Care stepped up and was honoured to be our main supporter and Title Sponsor for our team. Little Caesars Pizza graciously became our Bag Sponsor, Henderson Heating and Cooling was our Clothing Sponsor and Pro North Roofing was our Practice Jersey Sponsor. With these main sponsors and all of the individual jersey sponsors and other businesses contributing to the cause through our sponsorship and fundraising committees, our foundation became very strong and will relieve some stresses going forward. Over and above these committees, we have to applauded all of our other committees that were put in place to make sure that everyone was fed, quenched our thirst, and made sure we all had a good time. The boys fueled up with power balls and chocolate milk after every tournament game and enjoyed planned outing events throughout the year to extend their friendships outside the rink. Thanks to these committees and all the time and commitment of the members, everything ran smoothly and our team is truly grateful.
When training camp began in late August, the boys had permanent smiles on their faces especially on the first day when the walked in the Thunderbirds dressing room with all their new Jr Hound attire laid out in their individual stall. Then it was time to hit the ice and go to work. The dedication to the program and effort was shown throughout all 70 practices that the boys endured throughout the year. The strength, power and speed of the boys is evidence of the work that they put in this season. It was a pleasure to watch them grow, develop and learn new skills these past 7 months.
As a team, we hit our goal of being in 1 Tournament a month, where we had to qualify for 2 to advance. We finished the season ranked 8th in Ontario, 4th is our league in the NIHL in the Atom Major AA division as well as having 5 semi final appearances and 1 championship for a total of 59 games played. The most important thing this year was the lessons that were taught throughout the season and what the true meaning of being a Junior Greyhound is all about.
Finally we would like to acknowledge all the time and effort that our coaching staff put into this year on and off the ice. These coaches have spent a lot of time with these boys this year. They stayed true to their commitment off the ice by having homework time and help educate them on road trips, maintained discipline in the arenas and hotels, and displayed sportsmanship. On the ice, if you were to look back on how our team played our first game of the season and compare it to this past weekend, you would have to agree that our staff accomplished their goal this year.
Overall, I hope that everyone have a great year but it is time to rest up and get ready for tryouts because it is about to start all over again next month!