Wild Finishes, New Beginnings

by Alex Morrison

Yesterday was the day that we said goodbye to the 10u division, as they had 3 championship games for their 3 levels.  Today is the day that we say hello to the Men’s Platinum, Gold, Silver and Bronze divisions, and the 30 & Over group.  Let’s take a look back at yesterday’s finals.

10u

The Gold Division final saw the Bordercats 07 from Michigan matched up against Cayman Islands.  This one started a bit slow, with a few turnovers taking place.  After about 4 minutes, the Bordercats lit the lamp first, as Chloe Moses put her team in the lead.  After that, it was the Jaxon Cover show, as he used his speed and finesse to outskate the entire team from Michigan, and score a natural hat trick in less than 5 minutes.  Cayman continued pouring it on, as Rhys Marr scored, and Jaxon added another 2 goals.  Elliot Densmore of the Bordercats tried to make it a game, scoring twice within 14 seconds, but the team from Cayman was too much for the Michigan kids to handle, as they won 6-3.

In the Silver final, the Gladiators White and Bordercats 08 would be in a rematch of a 12 goal game earlier in the event, so it is safe to say that we expected a bit of offense in this one… and that’s exactly what we got.  McKenzie Grimm of the Bordercats scored 2 of the first 3 goals in the game, and the Michigan group looked confident with a 3-0 lead just 2 minutes into the game.  Zach Iannone of the Gladiators was not about to give up on his team though, and led the charge as they scored 4 times in the first half, he with 3 goals, finishing the half tied at 4.  In the second half, the teams traded the lead with one another, leading to a 7-7 tie with about a minute and a half left.  Iannone got the puck on a 1 on 1 in the attacking zone, and beat the defender to his right.  Everyone in the building thought it was going to be a goal at that point, but he was tripped up, leading to a power play.  On the PP, Iannone got the puck down low, went to his backhand, and roofed it over the goalie’s glove going against the grain… his 7^th goal of the game, and the golden goal, giving the Gladiators the 8-7 win.  Grimm of the Bordercats had one heck of a game as well, scoring 4 times.

The Gladiators Red and Lizard Kings were the teams in the Club Final, and they played in an entertaining game.  The first half was back and forth, ending 3-2.  Once the second half started the Lizard Kings tied it at 3, and the atmosphere in the building was electric.  Once that happened, Jacob Gathers of the Gladiators kicked it into second gear, scoring a couple times, and finishing the game with 6 points, as the Glads won 9-3.

Today we have the 21u division finishing up, the 12u division starting playoffs, and the adults starting up.  Along with tomorrow, these will be the 2 longest days of the 11 day event.  Our staff is refreshed after a nice BBQ by the pool last night, and we are ready for a great time.  We look forward to seeing so many players that played in this same building 20 years ago as youth players.  Stay tuned for updates!