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(posted Apr. 25,
12:30PM NST
- Issue Number 28)
Kelligrews -- CELTICS 2 BLADES 1
The Final Battle
The
Mount Pearl Blades were eliminated from medal round contention at the All
Newfoundland Tournament in CBS this past Tuesday, ending their 2002/03 hockey
season. The team made their exit after a final battle with the Avalon Celtics
where the teams were separated by just one goal. The 2-1 score was all the
Celtics needed to advance against CBR in the semi-final.
The
quiet exit by Mount Pearl was not without last minute heroics. In a game that
was lacking in defensive and offensive hi-lights, two goalies refused to take
the Blades out of the game until the dying minutes. The tireless duo of
O’Rourke and Mandville continued to give the Blades hope by turning back
Celtics chances until late into the game. With less than three minutes remaining
on the clock the opponents finally broke the 1-1 deadlock with a powerplay goal.
Despite last-minute attempts by the Blades to tie the affair, the Celtics
protected the one goal lead with relative ease. The 2-1 loss would eliminate the
Blades if CBR lost the upcoming game to the Caps.
In the
dressing room the team went through their routine of replenishing their tired
bodies with water and Gatorade, and then packed up their equipment. Nothing was
lost on regret or negative reflection. No breath was wasted on the ‘could haves’
or ‘should haves’. The team has lost before … and they all know how to deal with
defeat.
As the
dressing room emptied a few stragglers hung on to hope and awaited the upcoming
CBR/Caps game. The Coaching staff crossed their fingers as the game began. But
the fate of the Blades rested at the hands of another team … not exactly what
they had planned coming into the tournament. The Caps would win out over CBR and
at the same time eliminate their Mount Pearl rivals. It was a bittersweet
victory for the Caps who had only one loss in the tournament. That loss came
just the day before when Mount Pearl defeated them 5-4.
And as
for the tournament, the rest is history. The Caps went on to defeat Avalon in
the final to become the Atom B Champs. A sincere congratulations to the Caps and
all the teams that played their hearts out in the All Newfoundland Tournament. A
special thank-you to the CBR rink for hosting the tournament. The hospitality
was terrific !
Now the
long hockey season is coming to a close. Coaches, parents, and players alike are
looking forward to a long summer break. However, there is just one more thing to
do. Ah yes, it’s the final game where players meet parents at centre ice to show
them up close how to play the game. You know it’s really something to see our
players from the stands, but it’s another thing to experience it first-hand at
ice level. Our boys make playing hockey look easy because they have worked hard
through practices and games to develop their skills. It is so rewarding to see
that their hard work has paid off. They have speed, finesse, and puck handling
skills that will be further developed in the coming years from a good
foundation. But the most valuable development I can see this year is their
sense of sportsmanship. I hope they never lose sight of what is really
important.
See you
on the ice Friday afternoon for the last hoorah !!
GO BLADES GO!!! | 
