After chasing gold all weekend, the Wolves battled their own pack and sank their teeth into a championship.
Two NOTL U13 teams entered their hometown March Break Classic tourney and, in a rare turn of events, they ended up meeting in the finale on Sunday.
A third-period surge carried NOTL #2 to a 4-2 win over NOTL #1 in the U13 championship game, closing the three-day competition that drew teams from across Ontario.
The tourney ran March 13 to 15 at Virgil’s Centennial and Meridian Credit Union arenas, with U11, U13, U15 and U18 divisions competing.
Tourney organizer James Cadeau kept things running smoothly managing 27 teams from 18 associations, filling last-minute dropouts and co-ordinating with coaches to ensure a successful tournament.
“It’s 16-hour days and you just do it and get it done, and then you look back and go, hopefully you did a good job,” said Cadeau, who’s also a coach with NOTL’s U18 team.
In the U13 final, Sawyer Moes opened the scoring for Team #2 in the first.
The teams were tied 2-2 after the second thanks to tallies by Norah Palmer for Team #2 and Jordan Dulas and Maximillian Czarniak for Team #1.
However, two late third-period goals — by Caden Hielema with just over three minutes to go and Moes’ second at the buzzer — secured the win.
The champs had a short bench, with only seven skaters “and they still found a way to win,” said U13 coach Jeff Duc. “I think for most of them, it’s their first tournament win.”
For the players, the year-end tournament provides an opportunity to compete after their regular seasons have wound down.
Several local teams who entered the weekend without strong records managed to advance deep into the playoff rounds.
“We’ve had a tough season, so making it this far in a tournament has really boosted their spirits,” said Laura Dulas, mother of U13 team #1 player Jordan Dulas.
Other Niagara-on-the-Lake teams posted mixed results in the tourney.
The U11 Wolves struggled, including a 10-0 loss to Beeton and a 6-3 loss to Woodville. The U18 team fell 6-0 to London in round-robin play, recorded a 6-3 win over Minto, and lost 3-0 to St. Marys before a 6-0 semifinal loss to London.
The U15s tied West Niagara 1-1 in pool play, then lost 6-3 to Ennismore and 2-0 to Lucan, before a 2-1 loss to Ennismore in a rematch.
Sarah Leplae, whose son Cian Doyle plays for the U15 rep Wolves, said his team qualified to play in the provincial finals March 27 to 29. Meanwhile, her daughter Regan Doyle competed in the all-NOTL U13 final Sunday.
“It’s kind of special that both teams are Niagara-on-the-Lake, so it’s friendly competition in the finals,” said Leplae.
Cadeau said the event ran without major problems despite the number of games and co-ordination required across two facilities.
NOTL minor hockey volunteers handled timekeeping, concessions and scheduling, while the association hosted a barbecue to support operating costs.
“As long as the kids go home happy, that’s all I care about,” Cadeau said.
Cadeau pointed to Niagara’s conveniently close hotels and attractions as a consistent draw that keeps hockey associations from across the province returning for the tournament.
“It’s Niagara. It’s a destination. There’s lots to do and that makes it an easy sell for teams,” he added.
