KNIGHTS U12: CHAMPIONS OF THE 2023
LEFROY BREAK THE ICE TOURNAMENT
The North York Knights U12 Select team recently participated in the 2023 Lefroy Break the Ice Tournament. The event was held between January 20th and 22nd, 2023. The Knights entered the event with high expectations following a successful fall campaign in the NYHL. The format for the tournament was a 3-game round robin, with the top 2 teams advancing to the finals on Sunday.
The Knights opened the tournament on Friday evening with a 4-4 tie against the Oakville Rangers Select team. It was a decent performance, but it left the team feeling a little disappointed. The group set a goal following the game to improve the level of play in each subsequent contest in order to build momentum to the finals.
The Knights’ second game was held Saturday morning against the Oakville Rangers Advanced team. After giving up an early goal, the Knights rebounded to come away with a 4-1 victory. Step one in the mission was accomplished. The Knights’ final round robin game pitted the team against the Burlington Bulldogs, and the Knights upped the quality of play once again, cruising to a 6-1 win and securing a place in the championship game.
Sunday’s tournament final was a rematch against the Oakville Rangers Select team, and in the spirit of the team’s mission of continuous improvement, the group was determined to ensure that once the game began, the Rangers would not even recognize this team relative to the one that they had tied on Friday. A squad of extremely fired-up players stormed out of the dressing room onto the ice, and subsequently steamrolled the Rangers 8-1, earning the championship trophy!
The group had a fantastic weekend of team bonding both on and off the ice. Offensively, the team had a very balanced performance, with 15 players hitting the scoresheet, and defensively, the team shut things down after the opening game, allowing a total of 3 goals over the final 3 matches. On Saturday night, the team attended a thrilling OHL game, where the Windsor Spitfires eked out a victory in a back and forth 8-7 barnburner versus the hometown Barrie Colts.
Thank you very much to all the parents for their time and dedication in supporting a great team event!
