Mar 30, 2013 | SCorrigan | 1204 views
Minor Atom Season Comes to a Close
Today the Minor Atom division saw the end to a fantastic and highly entertaining season with a hard fought championship game. We also saw the players recognized for their various efforts throughout the regular season and in to the playoffs.
The banquet may have seemed a little drawn out, and I extend an apology on that score, but it was about the players so in the end I consider it time well spent by all of us.
The championship game started late due to overtime in the Novice game beforehand but it was a case of better late than never. Indeed, it was a real treat for fans, even if it was a bit of a nail biter for the players and coaches. The Bruins led by their game MVP Jeff Favaro put up a good fight but they simply could not penetrate a stifling Shark defence of Zachary Braga, Andy Collishaw, Boom Boom Farrell and Michael Metcalfe. The Sharks, for their part, relied upon a familiar figure in Dylan Corrigan for offense as he netted both goals and Shark game MVP honours. It was definitely one of those games you do not want any team to lose but know one team has to.
For the Shark players and families the victory capped off a truly magical season. They completed the rare feat of winning both the Christmas and end of season tournaments. That in itself is notable. However, for those who may be unaware, they also won both tournaments they entered (North London Invitational and the Oakridge Classic) this season in very convincing fashion. A four-peat over the last 4 months is something very, very special!
The All Star team based on play solely in the playoffs was as follows: Martina Incitti / Bruins (G), Caleb Hamilton / Penguins (D), Ethan Reynolds / Flyers (D), Eric Wehrle / Penguins (F), Dylan Corrigan / Sharks (F) and Janson Duench / Sharks (F).
The winner of the Sean Noseworthy Award for excellence in goal as chosen by the coaches came from the Leafs: Dakota Bacchus. All season he was simply the backbone of his team and without much debate their MVP. The most impressive fact is that this marked just his first full year in net.
The winner of the Spirit of Hockey for skill, dedication and class on the ice as chosen by the coaches came from the Sharks: Zachary Braga. Coaches universally rave about how mature and coachable he has been in HL and Select this season. He truly epitomizes the qualities that coaches seek or try to instill in all players.
The coach of the year as chosen by the assistant coaches came from the Flyers: Brad George. He did a truly amazing job building a team atmosphere and having the kids play as a unit as opposed to individuals. His composure and ability to communicate with the kids are precisely the qualities we need in head coaches for this age group.
If we look back at the entire season I, for one, think it is fair to categorize it as a huge success. All six teams participated in tournaments with two championship trophies coming from those efforts and we, as a division, barely missed out on a third with the Flyers OT marathon a couple of weekends ago. Of the 86 players who played an out position only 1, just one, failed to record a point yet that was due in large part to only playing 5 games out of net. Of those same 86 players, 71 or 83% recorded a goal. I think we would all have preferred to see every child score at least a goal (and we did have that as a goal), but still our results as a division are impressive on their own. By my count we had 3 more shutouts than this age group registered back in Novice. We only had 7 games that you might classify as a blowout all season long. We had one player actually surpass 100 points. We had a player surpass the 50 goal plateau and another just miss it; in total, 8 players registered 30 or more goals.
On a personal note, as a convenor, I would like to thank all the kids for the sportsmanship and competitive spirit that they showed this past season. As for the parents and fans, I extend my appreciation to each and every one of you for showing class and dignity in both victory and defeat, since these are qualities we want all the kids to develop. To the other head coaches, the trainers, the assistant coaches and the on ice helpers all I can say is that this season was a success because each of you contributed countless hours to this sport and to our kids.
Sadly folks that is all till the fall.