It started with a 6 game series against the Innisfil U13 #2 that saw Team #1 force game 6 with a 3-0 victory in game 5, but came up short in game 6, losing 3-1. This sent the team to the consolation bracket to face Lefroy, the 2nd place team in the regular season. After winning game #1 in overtime, then losing 2 straight and tying game #4, Team #1 won game 5 by a 3-0 score to force game 6 with both teams tied at 5 pts. In game 6, the kids came out flying and secured a 2-0 victory to knock out our cross town rival and moved onto the consolation finals. The team held Lefroy, the 2nd highest scoring team in the league, to 8 goals over the 6 games.
The final series was a back and forth affair with Team #1 winning 4-3 in game 1, and Beeton winning 2-1 in game 2. Game 3 turned into a thrilling 4-3 overtime victory for Team #1, giving them chance to close it out on home ice. But, a hard fought game bounced the other way and Beeton picked up a 4-3 OT victory of their own, sending it to a winner take all Game 5. In Game 5, after a quick goal 13 seconds into the game, Team #1 went down 2-1 before scoring off a redirection on the power play late in the 2nd period to tie the game at 2. A scoreless third, including the last 1:27 short handed led to a 3rd straight overtime game. Moments after the penalty expired in overtime, Matthew Oliver scored a beauty sharp angle shot over the goalie's shoulder, for his 3rd OT winner of the playoffs and the series clinching goal.
The resilience this team displayed, coming from behind in multiple games and multiple series was amazing to see. The kids all came together, played a relentless but clean style of hockey that made the team successful and a pain to play against.
Congrats to the U13 LL #1 Team