Jan 22, 2024 | Matt Keron | 79 views
Oakville Winter Classic Champions!!
The U15 Purple Mustangs traveled to Oakville for the Winter Classic Tournament.
Friday began with a hard fought 0-0 tie with a good Guelph Gryphon team, a big shout out to Marcus with the shutout. The boys followed that up with a good 3-2 win over the host Oakville Rangers. The standings were tight after Friday's games, so the boys needed a big day Saturday if they wanted to advance. The leadership group did a great job preparing the team for a match up with the Kent Cobras. Kent came out flying and our boys held strong. The Mustangs turned the momentum in our favour with some good fore-checking and some great puck movement on the power play. The boys battled hard and came out with a big 2-1 victory, it was a fantastic game by both teams.
That set up a late night showdown with the West Niagara Flying Aces on Hockey Day in Canada. The message was simple, win or tie and we play sunday. The Mustangs got into some penalty trouble early and were trailing 1-0 heading into the third. The Mustangs came out hot in the third and tied the game early and began to take back the momentum. Shoutout to Giggy for making some huge saves to keep the game tied. When the final buzzer went the score remained 1-1 and the boys wrapped up 1st place in the pool, setting up a semi final game with Barrie.
This game had everything a semi final should, good hits, lots of shots and a goalie showdown. Both teams battled hard and the score was 0-0 heading into the third period. Barrie broke the tie 4 minutes into the third with a rebound goal, putting the Mustangs in a tough situation. The battle continued with the Mustangs unable to get one by the Barrie goalie. With a couple minutes left in the game Barrie took a penalty. The Mustangs called a timeout to settle things down and get focused. Twenty seconds into the power play, the Mustangs worked a great give and go and finally found the back of the net, 1-1. A back and forth overtime did not produce a winner and the game would be decided in a shootout. The first three shooters did not score for either team. Barrie's fourth shooter came in and Marcus made a great save. With the tournament on the line Blake was up next for the Mustangs. He came down, faked glove side and then cut to the short side and tucked it in the back of the net, Mustangs are headed to the finals.
A sunday afternoon showdown between the Mustangs and the South Oxford Strom. The Storm had beat the Mustangs in a previous tournament semi final game. The boys were warn down from a busy weekend of hockey, but they were prepared and ready for this one. Both teams came out hard throwing some good hits. South Oxford struck first near the end of the first period. The Mustangs tied it up with less than a minute remaining in the first period. The second period saw the Mustangs get off to a bit of a rocky start, giving up 2 short handed breakaways, but Giggy stood strong keeping the score at 1-1. A good back hand found its way past the South Oxford goalie putting the Mustangs up 2-1 heading to the third period. The boys had one final task heading to the third, win the period. The teams battled back and forth exchanging chances at both ends. The Mustangs managed to get control of a loose puck in front and put it in the back of the net to go up 3-1. As the clock ticked down the Storm made one last push, with the goalie pulled they gave everything they had, but then on a clear the Mustangs won the race in the neutral zone and put the puck into the empty net. When the final buzzer went, the Mustangs prevailed 4-1 and were Champions!
A big shoutout to the parents for cheering us on all weekend, they were loud and proud! Our team motto is "Pride, Passion and Purpose" and the boys played with all three this weekend. We only allowed 6 goals in 6 games. We had unbelievable goaltending and great defensive structure. Congratulations to the U15 Purple Mustangs!