The Peewee championship dance
April 25, 2010
It starts in April as players walk through the doors of Erin Mills Twin Arenas in Mississauga, turn right and line up at the sign-in table. Some of them are greeted with smiles of friendship, some with anticipation of what they will do when their skate blades first touch the ice and some with polite but blank eyes. These are the tryouts that lead to a summer of light training, other sports and then in August the real task of creating a winner begins.
Every coach, every player, every mother and every father dreams of the end, the moment when they throw up their hands in absolute joy and tears gather in their eyes as they realize that their dream of winning the last game of the season has been met, that they are the champions. For the vast majority of people who walk through those arena doors the season will end with that dream unfulfilled. The odds are stacked against it. But then every once in a while there’s a merging of skills, personalities and yes, the hockey gods and they do become champions. And this year that happened to the Mississauga Terrier AA Peewees.
The previous season had ended abruptly. First place teams don’t get beat by eighth place teams. It’s not supposed to happen. In 2008-2009 it did. For whatever reasons the Terriers were knocked on their butts when the last team to make the playoffs, the Streetsville Tigers, dominated them in every way possible. The Tigers went on in the playoffs and the Terriers kids went home to their soccer, baseball and lacrosse teams. It wasn’t a happy feeling.
There was nothing special about the beginning of the following season. Losing the Early Bird Tournament, winning the Terry Terrier and then a complete dismantling at Christmas in the Silver Stick. And then win after win and a looming confrontation with their toughest rivals, the North Stars. This was a team they just couldn’t seem to conquer, until the last game of the regular season. First place was on the line and although the North Stars had struggled a bit in the last few games of the year they went into the game as the favourites. The Terriers put that notion to rest with a dominating victory and the Kraft Cup was theirs.
The playoffs are a marathon. You hear that in April, May and June as the NHL playoffs take over the country. The GTHL journey to the top seems almost as gruelling. This team played 19 games before they were able to declare that they were the best in the GTHL. The boxscore is this: W-12 L-4 T-3 GF-58 GA-30 Those numbers don’t capture the emotional range of those games. At the end a game a night. Suspensions. Close victories. Disappointing losses. A slow inexorable process to a championship.
Then the All-Ontario Championships in London. Six games in three days on Olympic size ice in an arena that can hold thousands. First up, Oakville and a 1-0 loss, but a loss that was surprisingly positive. It sent the message that Oakville could be beaten. Next up was Copper Cliff and then London and two big victories. Finally on Saturday a close last-minute win over an over-matched team from Waterloo. After four games Oakville was in 1st, Terriers 2nd, Waterloo 3rd and London 4th. Championship Sunday meant an 8:00 start with games between the Terriers and Waterloo followed by Oakville vs London. No surprises there. The Terriers won 5-2. Oakville won 7-1. Game on!
A close championship game is full of private moments that remain in one’s memories. A coach looks down the bench and catches the eyes of one of the players and knows this is going to end right. A mother jumps in the air as her daughter makes a play that propels the team to a victory. A father grimaces as his son misses a hit that gives Oakville a chance to score. A brother screams in delight as another goal is scored. A casual observer walks in the door and is frozen in his tracks as he absorbs the speed, the intensity and the sheer beauty of the game. And then a shared moment of exhilaration as the game ends with a 4-2 victory. The ability to scream with absolute certainty that it is true.
We are the Champions!
Tryout Schedule: 2010-2011
April 6, 2010
Please Note the following:
- All tryouts will be held at Erin Mills Arena.
- Tryouts cost $12.00.
- Players Bantam and older MUST have letter granting permission to skate.
Minor Atom
Coach: Dean Ricci (416) 688-3871
Manager: Cindy Maule (905) 891-9902
- April 17 Saturday 9:00 to 10:00 AM
- April 18 Sunday 9:00 to 10:00 AM
- April 19 Monday 7:00 to 8:00 PM
Minor Midget
Coach: Italo Paris (905) 275-3988
Manager: Kathi Melo (416) 305-9885
- April 17 Saturday 10:00 to 11:00 AM
- April 18 Sunday 10:00 to 11:00 AM
Atom
Coach: Dave Emerson (416) 726-3053
Manager:Paulo Gomes (647) 207-7842
- April 17 Saturday 11:00 to 12:00 PM
- April 18 Sunday 11:00 to 12:00 PM
- April 19 Monday 8:00 to 9:00 PM
Minor Peewee
Coach: Jeff Bjerno (905) 814-5940
Manager: Mike Louch (416) 268-5873
- April 17 Saturday 12:00 to 1:00 PM
- April 18 Sunday 12:00 to 1:00 PM
Peewee
Coach: Doug MacKenzie (905) 814-5931
Manager: Vijay Bonnell (647) 292-4552
- April 17 Saturday 1:00 to 2:00 PM
- April 18 Sunday 1:00 to 2:00 PM
Minor Bantam
Coach: Brad Wiseman (905) 826-6409
Manager: Sue Joynt (416) 670-7150
- April 17 Saturday 2:00 to 3:00 PM
- April 18 Sunday 2:00 to 3:00 PM
Bantam
Coach: Doug Morin (416) 319-3182
Manager: Ray Heslop (416) 241-3917
- April 17 Saturday 3:00 to 4:00 PM
- April 18 Sunday 3:00 to 4:00 PM
Midget
Coach: Marc Rousseau (905) 580-2900
Manager: Susan Anderson (905) 822-6116
- April 17 Saturday 4:00 to 5:00 PM
- April 18 Sunday 4:00 to 5:00 PM
2009-2010 Season comes to a close
March 10, 2010
This has been a good season for the Terriers.
Our Peewee team finished the season off with only three losses, which is a remarkable achievement in a league where every team in the top six was a tough opponent. This was the second year that this team won the Kraft Cup, which is awarded to the team that wins the regular season schedule.
Six of our teams made the playoffs, including the Minor Atoms, Atoms, Minor Peewee, Peewee, Minor Bantam and Midget. All had a great year and all are hoping to do even better in the 2010-2011 season.
Tryouts for all GTHL teams begin on April 12 for all GTHL teams, beginning with AAA tryouts.
Information regarding coaches or any other information regarding tryouts for the 2010-2011 cannot be released until April 5.