Congratulations to our Champions!

Congratulations to all the kids on their magnificent victory in San Jose.  I knew we had a special team, but I must admit I am still spinning a bit from the tournament win.  I knew we had a chance of winning and yet did not imagine we would sweep the entire tournament and walk away undefeated while also having the top ranks of the score sheet in our column.  Truly we are the elite Southern Oregon Pee Wee Travel Team!   There is much to do in preparation for the Canada trip.  But first, some stats to continue the celebration.

This is so fantastic and I am so proud of each of the players for their contribution to the over all team effort and success.  We are one of a VERY select few teams that can boast that ALL of their team members have points on the scoresheet.  Please be sure that all the kids know how special this is.  I will sure make a point of this tonight at practice.

Of course games are not won by only scoring goals.  Defensively, we are the second best team in the league allowing an average of only 16 shots per game.  Match this with the leading Goal Keeper, and we are a defensive force beyond any other team.  I was so proud of our team defensively this tournament.  I watched them execute exactly what we have been teaching them all season: strong backchecking and defensive support.  By out shooting our opponents and shutting the door defensively, we were able to match and/or dominate the teams we played.  There is not a specific statistic on the official scoresheet for defensive play, so you will have to take my word for it: we are an awesome defensive team. Great thanks and appreciation to our blue liners Dylan Wu, Jake Benson, Jacob Asbeck and Jeremy Wu, along with all of our backchecking forwards.

I’d like to give a special acknowledgment to Chase and Lindsey Courtney and Jasper Weatherby for their willingness to support our team in the finals without seeing much or any ice time.  I understand that is a difficult thing for many kids to do as they all want to give their best efforts on the ice as part of our team.  I want to say here what I said to Chase in the locker room yesterday.  The members of the third line are a very important part of this team whether they play or not.  Their support and enthusiasm off the ice are equally as important as their presence on the ice.  As I said earlier, every single one of our players is on the scoresheet.  Out of 71 teams, only 18 teams can claim this statistic and 15 of those are rated as A level teams.  Goes to show how powerful this statistic is!  We got to the finals with the help of the third line on and off the ice and they continued to help by supporting their team from the bench.  A heartfelt thank you to each of them for this emotionally difficult job.

Another great thanks goes out to Jeanne and Crystal for all of their hard work behind the scenes.  I am clear that without their help and dedication we probably would never have been in the tournament in the first place!  They are the unsung heroes of the team.  I hope you each have a chance to share some thanks and love with them for their hard work.

Now for the next step.  We have been officially invited to the finals in Canada. We will be going to Pelham, Ontario Canada with tournament dates of January 8-11, 2009.  I recognize that this is not a lot of time for us to raise the funds necessary for us to get there and participate in the tournament.  That said, I am confident that we can make it happen.

More later!
Andrew

Andrew Morrison
Head Coach