The NMHA U18A team won gold in dramatic
fashion Sunday in Cleveland at the Rock N Roll Classic Hockey Tournament.
After going undefeated in round-robin play we
faced a highly ranked Wheatfield Blades team from western New York in
the semi-final game. It was a great back and forth game but strong goaltending
and team resilience resulted in a 3-1 victory and berth in the championship
game on Sunday.
The gold medal game saw a rematch against game
three opponents, the Amherst Knights. That game was a very chippy penalty
filled game that resulted in a 4-4 tie. More of the same was expected in the
finals.
The boys game out flying and after a solid
start some questionable penalties and a few bad bounces resulted in 3-0 deficit
halfway through the opening period.
A timeout allowed the boys to reset and their never
say die attitude allowed us to chip away for the balance of the game to end up
in a 5-5 tie at the end of regulation. A five-minute 4v4 overtime began with us
controlling the play right from the beginning. The opposing team took an
ill-timed penalty allowing us to capitalize with the extra man and burying the
puck for the tournament win!
Congratulations to all players, team staff and
parents for a successful tournament in Cleveland……One that will not be
forgotten by anyone there!
GO RENEGADES GO!