Lambton Jr Sting Minor Atom AAA Team - Finalists in Buffalo!!!
The Lambton Jr Sting Minor Atom AAA Team headed to Buffalo, NY this past weekend to participate in the Harborcenter Cup.
Round robin play had the boys facing the Mississauga Rebels (Win 3-1), the Buffalo Jr Sabres (Tie 2-2) and the Syracuse Nationals (Loss 2-4). The 1-1-1 record resulted in a second place ranking in our pool, which meant the boys would face the Chatham Kent Cyclones in the quarter finals.
The quarter final match-up was a fierce battle between the two local clubs. The score went back and forth and ended up tied after regulation play. After 2 overtime periods, the Jr Sting managed to find the net and take the win 5-4 and advance to the semi-finals Sunday morning.
The semi-final match-up was against the Minuteman Flames, who had gone undefeated up to this point. The Jr Sting had been struggling to get off to a quick start in the first period and knew they had to come out strong in order to make it to the finals. Well they didn't let the fans down, they came out flying. This was a very intense game to watch, which ended in a 1-1 tie after regulation. The Jr Sting dominated the overtime period and kept the puck deep in the offensive zone. With approximately 1:30 left on the clock, the Jr Sting put the puck in the net and gained a birth to the finals.
Prior to the championship game, the Jr Sting got to watch the Buffalo Sabres practice, talk to some of the players and even got a pre-game pep talk from Ryan O'Reilly.
For the championship game, the Jr Sting faced off against the Syracuse Nationals. The game had the fans on the edge of their seats, as it was a hard fought battle, with the score going back and forth and looking like overtime was in our future again when with 22.5 seconds left in regulation, the Nationals scored, resulting in a final score of 3-4 and a finalist designation for the Minor Atom team.
Even though the boys fell just short of the championship, all the fans, coaches and parents are very proud of the Minor Atom team. A great weekend had by all.
Go Sting Go!!!