It's been years in the making.....and at last a York Simcoe Championship for the U12 AA squad!
A portion of this group was very close 3 years ago as we lost in the finals to Markham under the old series format, 3 games to 2 after holding a 2 game lead, so for the players who were a part of that defeat, this victory was all the more sweet!
Our group was the top seed and 3rd overall in the league, just 4 points removed from a spot at the OMHA playdowns and well positioned to contend amongst the 9 remaining teams. We got in the win column right away beating Innisfil 3 to 1 and Stouffville 5 to 2 and then lost to King 3 to 1. Our 2 and 1 record needed another win to secure a spot in the semis, where we beat East Gwillimbury 3 to 1 and finished with a 3 wins and 1 loss record.
This set up a semi-final rematch with King, where our strong goaltending led us to a 2 to 1 victory. The other semi final was decided by the same margin, where we would play the hometown Bradford Bulldogs.
The scene was set, families, friends and fans made for a healthy crowd at the Bradford West Gwillimbury Rec complex and the game went underway. Big saves at both ends and a mid-way goal off of a rebound by Mackenzie H, provided us a 1 to 0 lead. Another dynamite goaltending exhibition would allow our lone goal to hold up until the dying moments where we put in 2 empty netters to create breathing room and secure our win!
Thank you to all of the parents, sponsors, coaching staff and extatic players who will be very proud to raise a banner at the NTRC! Congrats, Ben C, Ethan B, Cadvan W, Owen H, Carter M, Matt G, Ben H, Austin M, Cohen K, Rogan H, Rory M, Austin C, Mackenzie H, Daniel K, Caitlyn E, Logan S and our AP players from both the U12 A and U11AA team!
