Apr 08, 2017 | sdoherty | 1833 views
PeeWee Kinsmen LL End Year With “W”
Even NHL players like Clinton/Varna native Ryan O’Reilly get
frustrated after a series of losses.
O’Reilly admitted in a recent interview that it’s hard for players to
give it their all when the bounces just don’t go their way. Well – the Kinsmen Crew learned a thing or
two about playing through adversity this season when they played the entire second
half of the regular season with only one win.
Unfortunately for the Sailors – that adversity followed them into the Young Canada Week Tournament where they failed to secure a single win during the points-generating games. The Sailors lost their first game of the tourney 3-0 versus the Saugeen Shores. Saugeen played an “in-your-face” physical game and although the Sailors held their own in the battles along the boards – they could not find the back of the net against a strong Saugeen net-minder.
The second game of the tourney saw the Sailors fall to the Seaforth Stars 5-0. Things were tough for the Sailors in that match-up - the Stars were the hungrier team and Sailor’s Captain, Adam R, was out with a back injury.
Although still riddled with back pain, the Sailors’ Captain returned for the third and final points-generating game of the tourney against Central Perth. Despite losing the game 3-1 - the Sailors were motivated by their Captain who managed the team’s first goal of the tourney even though he was far from 100%.
Adam’s goal buoyed the previously disheartened Sailors and they came together for their final game of the year against the Minto mad Dogs and crushed it. The Sailors played a great game and got on the score board in the second on an unassisted goal from Spencer W which was quickly followed by another goal from Nolan W (assisted by Hudson VB and Caden B). Those goals were well deserved by a group of players who played very well all year despite a tough win/loss record.
The Sailors continued their dominance in the third and notched their final goal on a beauty by Camron P (with assists going to Jaden M and Aidan D). Again, this was a nice goal by a group of players who continued to give it their all regardless of the score. In the end - the Sailors managed a 3-0 rout of the Mad Dogs and finished their year with an important win – congrats Sailors!
On a personal note – I’d like to acknowledge some players who may not have put up big numbers in the tourney but who really displayed a concerted effort throughout: first – Sawyer N had a remarkable season for the Sailors – he is a consistent and dependable team player – very responsible with the puck and always willing to make a pass to an open teammate – thanks Sawyer. Also, Nolan W played a solid two-way game throughout the tournament and was another player who seemed to persevere through the tough games when the score got away on the team. Nice attitude Nolan.
Finally, a shout out to Kaelan E – I don’t know exactly when he flipped the switch this season – but Kaelan was a physical force throughout the YCW tourney and played great defense for the Sailors. Nice job Kaelan. All in all – the Sailors had a good year – despite the record the kids had some fun and ended on a high note.
Thanks again to the coaches and team staff – these volunteer positions are often a thankless undertaking – but they deserve a nod for their commitment to our players. Below are the final player stats for the entire year (including exhibition, tournaments etc.). Good luck in the off-season Sailors and I hope to see you on the ice again next year!
#
|
FName
|
LName
|
# Games
|
Goals
|
Assists
|
Points
|
PPG
|
2
|
Aidan
|
D.
|
31
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
0.19
|
4
|
Nolan
|
W.
|
36
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
0.25
|
5
|
Hudson
|
V.
|
34
|
5
|
3
|
8
|
0.24
|
6
|
Jesse
|
V.
|
33
|
1
|
3
|
4
|
0.12
|
7
|
Noah
|
J.
|
23
|
8
|
4
|
12
|
0.52
|
8
|
Camron
|
P.
|
37
|
2
|
2
|
4
|
0.11
|
9
|
Seth
|
D.
|
36
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
0.08
|
10
|
Spencer
|
W.
|
37
|
23
|
10
|
33
|
0.89
|
11
|
Caden
|
B.
|
37
|
3
|
7
|
10
|
0.27
|
12
|
Adam
|
R.
|
36
|
17
|
3
|
20
|
0.56
|
14
|
Jaden
|
M.
|
29
|
9
|
4
|
13
|
0.45
|
15
|
Sawyer
|
N.
|
37
|
5
|
4
|
9
|
0.24
|
16
|
Kate
|
J.
|
37
|
5
|
3
|
8
|
0.22
|
17
|
Liam
|
D.
|
35
|
1
|
7
|
8
|
0.23
|
18
|
Kaelan
|
E.
|
34
|
0
|
1
|
1
|
0.03
|