The Wasaga Beach Tyke 1 Stars raced into Elmvale on Saturday afternoon to face the Coyotes. After their best game of the year against the Tyke 3 Stars only 6 days prior, the kids were still flying on a high worse then Cheech and Chong.
The kids knew it was their last game of the regular season and wanted to show there family, friends and fans, how much they wanted this game against the stronger Elmvale team. Coach Jenn spoke some words of encouragement before the game, "To play the game is good, to win is better, but to love the game is best of all." The kids looked at Coach Jenn with confused faces, not understanding what she meant, when Coach Matt jumped in,"Lets have fun and try our best", while clapping his huge gloves together.
The Tyke 1 Stars had a little more hop in their step as they skated onto the ice. The "Superintendent of the Stringed Shanty", Adrian D. was glowing with confidence as he stepped between the pipes. After a few rough games at the beginning of the year, he had the Eye of the Tiger like Rocky Balboa about to face Apollo Creed for the World Title, stoning the Coyotes on many occasions. Zach "Attack" V. got the Stars on the board first with a great individual effort, deking his way through the defence and putting one top shelf. On his very next shift, he put the Tyke 1 Team up by 2. The "Twisted Sisters", Bella G. and Chyna S. played their hearts out, putting pressure on the Coyotes and forcing them to turn the puck over. The Coyotes made a come before the end of the first frame to tie the game.
The second period saw the Stars come out to a slow start. With Elmvale popping in a couple markers, Coach Kevin gathered the kids up and said, "As long as you fight, you cannot lose...If you leave everything out there, it doesn't matter if you win or lose, to me you can never lose." Aedan T. saw the passion in his old mans eyes and went out and had the best shift of the year, forechecking with all his might. The very next shift saw Jake L. set up Carsten K. with a great pass after some hard work in the neutral zone, with Carsten putting one past a tough Elmvale goalie. At the drop of the puck, Carsten returned the favor to Jake with a great move to find him open off the draw, where Jake skated in alone from the blue line, putting one low, blocker side. Colwyn R. had his best game of the year, flying up and down the ice like a flock of ducks. At one point, everyone thought he was going to perform the flying "V". The end of the second period saw the teams tied.
With the momentum in the Stars favor, "The Bash Brothers", Mason B. and Jacob D. kept things rolling, checking hard and dumping the puck out of the Stars zone. Kate S. was a wrecking ball out there, knocking down everything in her way, making room for Zach to put home 2 more tallies. After being sick with a virus all week, Nicky B. was wearing his heart on his sleeve, knowing his teammates needed his quick speed and soft hands, stepped to the plate and played a heck of a game with little to no energy. The Tyke 1 Stars had a great opportunity to take the lead in the last minute but fell a little short. The kids played their best game of the year and ended the game with a tie. Never have we seen so many smiles, not only from the kids, but from all the family and friends that were there to support them.
The "Playmaker of the Game" jersey could have gone to anyone of the kids for all there hard work. But lucky for me, with the great coaching staff we have, the great parents that have been positive all year long and the kids that put a smile on our faces everyday, I was awarded the Jersey. If it wasn't for all of you, my game stories wouldn't be as exciting as they are, as you are all my inspiration for these. If i can just ask one thing of all the parents, please read this article and know why we do what we do for our kids at the arena. Remember, it's all about the kids and the apple juice.
http://m.torontosun.com/2013/09/16/attention-coaches-parents-minor-hockey-is-for-the-children
GO STARS GO