This post is long overdue. I will attempt to summarize the road we have travelled to get to what we see pictured here...our first tournament championship!!!
This past weekend the Atom AE Windsor Jr Spitfires took first place at the Buckeye Classic in Columbus, OH and brought the championship trophy home!! This tournament showcased all of the development each and every player has achieved from the start of the season until know.
We've got to go all the way back to September 25th and a game against the Tecumseh-Shoreline Eagles. It was game 5 of the season and the 4th time we have played the Eagles already. It was also our last game before heading out for our first tournament. This game ended in an 8-4 loss as we continued to struggle with getting shots on net, back checking and simple positioning.
Great Lakes Preseason Challenge, Holland, MI - Something starts brewing deep down
Don't be deceived by the stats below because something deep down inside this team started brewing at this tournament. The overall calibre of this tournament may have been higher than AE as this tournament had some tough teams that really pushed the boys to play hard. Game 1 and 4 against the Vikings we gave away due untimely mistakes that the Vikings capitalized on. The game against the Wildkits was a game we were competitive in until we could no longer sustain the effort required to closeout the game.
Motown Cup, Southgate, MI - We did it for Cam
With no regular season games scheduled we hit the ice with a couple of practices then hit the road again for the Motown Cup in Southgate, MI. This tournament saw us struggle with effort, back checking, getting shots and nearly all aspects of the game relative to the competition but improved from our previous standard of play. The competition was again slightly stronger than the AE teams we see in the Bluewater League. The message from the coaches was simply to keep working on what we asked for from each player and when we get back to the Bluewater League we will be different team.
But something happened...
A collision in front our net between our biggest player, Steven Thomas, and our smallest player, Cam Masse, resulted in Cam being down on the ice. Unable to sustain pressure on his right leg Cam was helped off the ice. It wasn't until many of us arrived at the arena for our 8:20am game the next day did we realize Cam had suffered a broken leg.
This unfortunate event served as a catalyst and brought the team together. The team decided they were going to "Win it for Cam" The 3rd and final game of the tournament saw them do just that as they pulled together and won the first game of the season. It was a well fought game that saw the team persevere and come out on top with a 3-2 Win over the Leafs Hockey Club (Sliver)
We're just getting started.
Coming back to the Bluewater league saw us faceoff against against the Belle River Canadiens in a Away-and-Home game series on Oct 14th and 15th. We were definitely a different team and although it didn't show up on the score board as a win there was definitely an new edge to the team. The games were close and started resembling some structured hockey.
And then cogs started to align and started turning... the machine was now in motion
Each player started to believe! To believe in their ability, to believe in their teammates and believe they were stronger working together than as bunch of individuals working for themselves.
Lines were changing and starting to find the right combination and balance of ability and chemistry.
The message slightly changed. We started to refer to our way of playing as Windsor hockey...automotive capital, hard working, all grit and no quit!
We started celebrating assists to reinforce the team aspect. We only read who got assist off of the gamesheet in the dressing room.
And boom...we go 4-1-2 for 10 out 14 points in our last 7 games leading up to the Columbus tournament!!!
The team was playing so well we saw goals for the first time from Jackson Vollans, Logan Conrod and Mckay Jeffery. The depth of the team is getting so deep that we have at least 5 player we can swap positions on forward or even move between forward and defense at any given moment without worry or compromise.
Signed, Sealed, and Delivered
Coach Scott made it clear during the practice leading up to the Columbus tournament that the objective was to come home with the championship. That the hard work that we have put in, the grit we've seen in games, lead the staff to believe that coming home with anything less would have meant we didn't play Windsor hockey.
Game 1 vs North Pittsburgh:
A very gritty game by both teams. We saw great team work but also found ourselves down 3-2 with only 38secs left in the 3rd period. With goalie Caleb Whitson on the bench for the extra attacker we fronted an all out assault on the Pittsburgh net. As a result of the perseverance and all grit, no quit, Windsor hockey prevailed and tied the game on a low shot, blocker side by Keigan Mosey with only 18secs remaining.
Game 2 vs Kirkwood Stars:
Goalie Collin Williams stole the game for us. The team did make his job very easy by not allowing any shots on goal at all during the second period due to solid defense and great backchecking. Team work, grinding, and going to the net resulted in goals.
Game 3 vs SCIR Navy:
They goal scored by Navy wasn't even earned by their effort but luckily awarded to them by an unfortunate stumble and fall by goalie Caleb Whitson. The Navy team was a good passing team that utilized the open areas of the ice very well. However, the relentless grinding pressure of the Jr. Spitfires and solid goaltending is what made the difference in keeping the Navy team from pulling out a win.
Game 4 vs Kirwood Stars.. the Championship game.
An all out team effort (even from Cam with whom we had brief call with before the game) but I would be remiss if I didn't mention how amazing each and every Defensemen played the entire tournament but especially this game. Don't get me wrong, the forwards played amazing; especially at starting to crash the net with sticks down and ready. This is exactly why Jackson Vollans got the only goal in regulation. You couldn't ask for a better championship game. Tied 1-1 after regulation that moved to a 5 min, 4on4 overtime that ended the way it started; 1-1. This lead to a 14 player shootout that saw Colin Williams turnway shot after shot. It was finally ended with a nice forehand to backhand deke by Ashton Maluske.
Although it could have been awarded to many players, the tournament MVP award was appropriately given to Collin Williams.
I just want to take the opportunity to say that every single player on this team has given their all and helped us get to where we are right now. It will also take every single player on this team to give even more to bring us to the next level. As we talked about in Belle River each player needs to start to do some extra shooting and stick work at home in order to see faster growth.
If you go back to our first win in Holland, MI our record is 7-3-4 for 18 out of 28 points in our last 14 games. Such a stark contrast to the first 11 games of the season in which our record was 0-9-2 for 2 out of 22 points.
Just in case you didn't know but we moved from last to third in the standings.
I promise you Belle River and especially Tecumseh has no idea what is going to happen to them this coming Friday and Sunday.