Bradford Bulldogs Blue and Gold Tournament Champions!!!!

 
The Novice A Senators went undefeated this past weekend in Bradford, Ontario, taking home the tournament championship with a 5-3 win over the host, Bradford Bulldogs, and creating some lasting memories in the process.
 
In the media scrum that followed the game, Sens Head Coach, Blair Gillingham, held high praise for his team's efforts, "One big thing I will take from this past weekend was how this group of players came together as a team, first and foremost. They worked hard for each other and they played their positions for each other.  It was fantastic to see."  Justice Galt was chosen to be captain for the final game which was fitting given his steadfast efforts throughout the weekend and his "team first" attitude.
 
A total team effort
 
"All nine forwards scored at least one goal and four of the five defenders scored a goal. All fourteen players showed up on the score sheet. How balanced is that?", continued Gillingham.  Some other highlights included 'first ever' Novice goals for Marra Klassen and Jeremy Owen, some beauty snipes by the high flying, Anderson Hapke, a highly skilled give and go tally with Alex Tornberg that was started and finished by Ethan McMaster, a two-goal game by power forward, "Battle Ship" Garrett Rochon, and a two-goal opening game by right winger Jackson Hurst (including a wicked 'bar down' wrister).  Forwards Thomas Dale and John Hardie were also major forces to be reckoned with all weekend long. Both played with a lot of energy, chipped in with timely goals, and worked very hard in both ends of the rink.
 
Goaltending was also a key to the team's success and the coach had some very positive comments about his team's starting netminder, Dev Morrison.  "We had one shutout and three games where we allowed only one goal. That tells me we got some big saves when we needed them, some responsible defenseman, and forwards getting back to their positions so we could get the puck out of our zone."
 
Team spirit was at a season high and the coach was excited to see his players come together to achieve a common goal.  "The support among our players for each other was something to see in various different ways...either leading by example with a big effort, giving props on the bench after a great play, or a back-check."
 
An outstanding defensive effort by all five defenders
 
The coaches were particularly pleased by the play of their defensemen, Coleson Kaluza, Evan Hilborn, Jeremy Owen, Marra Klassen, and Nathan Gillingham.  "They parked their egos for the team and played responsible hockey and it was a major reason why the team was successful," said a Sens assistant coach. "It is not an easy thing to hang back and take care of business on the defensive side of the puck while the forwards are scoring all the goals.  These five kids showed a ton of character by staying committed to their responsibilities."
 
Overcoming adversity to win the tournament trophy
 
The Championship game was not void of some challenging moments.  The team fell behind on two occasions by two goal margins and it was not until left winger Andrew Roy-Leblanc finally cracked the goose egg with an opportunistic breakaway goal off of a nifty Evan Hilborn feed that the Sens finally settled down and started to roll.  "They didn't give up", said Coach Gillingham. "The coaches told them to keep their heads up, get back to our passing game,  play their positions and keep their feet moving.  We got a little jump in our step and popped in a couple of goals in the last half of the second to go into the third all tied up.  At that point, they took it upon themselves to close it out.  We never gave up much in the third period of likely the most intense game most of these kids have played in.  No negative energy on the bench, just a feeling a teamwork."  The game was finally iced when Marra Klassen picked up a loose puck in her own end, skated with it coast to coast, and wired a terrific wrist shot over the Barrie goaltender's blocker for her first ever novice goal. A fitting end to a wonderful weekend.
 
Awards and Honors
 
The Tournament MVP was awarded to center, Alex Tornberg, who played a strong two-way game throughout the weekend. Tornberg shared the puck often, scored some important goals, and was often the first forward back to help defend after a turnover.
 
The Hardest Working Player Award, as voted on by the parents, went to Nathan Gillingham. One of the team's assistant coaches had these comments to describe the young player. "Nathan led by example with his commitment to team play and his all out effort during every shift of every game. To me, he was the ultimate leader this past weekend. In bed early, totally committed to doing his best for the team at all times."
 
The Smartest Player Award went to Sens defender, Jeremy Owen, who on many occasions prevented a goal against through sheer will and determination, strong positioning, and some very intelligent heads-up passing.
 
The Hustler Award went to center, Thomas Dale, for his dogged determination and enthusiastic play in both ends of the rink. Thomas scored some big goals but also won many puck battles below the dots in his own end.

- Barney Bullitzky
  Sens Beat Reporter (back from sabbatical in far off places)