Congratulations to our hard working
Atom 1 Bandits on their incredible season, finishing undefeated in their regular season and finishing as
GRLL 'A' Finalists!What fun the Atom1 team had this season! Undefeated in their regular season, ending with a 16-0 winning streak, 105 goals for and 23 goals against in 16 games, 2nd place in Playoff Round Robin, 'A' Division Finalists. They were one of only three teams in the Grand River Local League to go undefeated all season – our Beverly PeeWees were one of the other three teams. Beverly Minor Hockey had an amazing season!
The playoffs started strong for Atom1 with a 7-4 WIN over New Hamburg1 and a 2-1 WIN over Beverly Atom2. With players ill or injured, Atom1 tasted defeat for the first time this season, not once, but four times! 5-0 vs NH2, 3-2 vs NH2, 5-2 vs NH3, 3-2 vs NH1.
At first, after three losses in a row, we forgot how well our Bandits played. Healed and well again, those same Bandits stepped on the ice February 21st against New Hamburg3. THIS was the Beverly team we knew and loved. There they were playing smart, passing and playing hard. These were well matched teams but the Bandits kept most of the action in the NH3 end. The 2-1 WIN was well earned! Goals scored by: Will Jansen, Shamus Hughes
The February 22nd game against New Hamburg1 was a hard loss. Our Bandits played an exceptional game against a team that went 15-1 in their regular season and whose strength in net meant they gave up only 11 goals. It was a nail-biter game to the very end when, despite a referee standing beside the net as the "clear goal" went in, oblivious to the loud groans of the New Hamburg parents reacting, the goal against NH1 was waved off. The game that should have resulted in a tie, ended in a 3-2 loss. But what a great game our Atom1 team played! Goals scored by: Will Ashley, Shamus Hughes
Incredibly, ALL Beverly teams placed in the Grand River Local League 'A' Division Round Robin Playoffs! This meant teams, like Atom1 faced their own centre in the bid to find themselves in the finals. Some of the best hockey this season was in the playoff games between Atom1 and Atom2. Each team gave exceptional effort, showing impressive skill on the ice and proving Beverly inspires great hockey! The arena was packed with fans who collectively cheered their Bandits on. Sportsmanship in situations like these is critical. We should be proud of our Atom athletes and families and how they supported all Beverly Bandits, no matter which team they played for.
March 3rd Atom1 unexpectedly found themselves in a tie breaker game against New Hamburg1. Their bid for the 'A' Division Championship banner was not over yet! New Hamburg2 was settled in first place, waiting for an opponent for the best out of three finals. With home advantage, our Bandits stepped on the ice with incredible determination, playing hard, playing smart and the results showed on the score board. It was a clear win for Beverly 4-0! They were moving on to the championship finals against New Hamburg2! Goals scored by: Will Jansen (2), Evan Travis (2)
March 6th, Atom1 traveled to New Hamburg hoping for a good game against New Hamburg2. With two recent losses against this strong team Beverly was aware that this was not going to be easy. The game was back and forth with your Bandits playing hard to keep any lead. Nolan 'Slap shot' Myers drilled one of his trade mark shots from the blue line in the back of the NH2 net! Unfortunately, bit by bit, NH2 chipped away at the score board finally winning 6-3. The Bandits played well but NH2 wanted this win just that much more. Goals scored by: Nolan Myers, Alexandre Baril, Will Ashley
March 7th, with home support, it was a different story. Atom1 had a plan and our Bandits were prepared for their battle. They put it all on the ice, working hard each period. This was a different game with Beverly keeping a good deal of the action in the NH2 end. Still, it was back and forth for goals. With the clock ticking down to the end of the game Evan Travis had Beverly fans on their feet with his goal to tie the game at 3-3! Going into overtime, the Atoms were focused on the necessary win but NH2 won the face off. With a successful shot on the Beverly net, overtime came to a quick end, 4-3 NH2. Goals scored by: Shamus Hughes, Alexandre Baril, Evan Travis
What a fantastic season for Atom1, GRLL 'A' Finalists! Congratulations to each Bandit for the incredible hockey this season, for giving your best effort, for playing with grace and sportsmanship. It was such fun watching you develop as a team, improve individually and to cheer you on at each game. Be very proud of your season, yourself and your team – you made us proud!
Atom1 wrapped up their season by traveling to Buffalo, New York and taking to the ice for the much anticipated 40th Annual 2016 Pepsi Hockey Invitational, March 11-13.
Their effort and determination would be needed facing the skill and talent of many of the teams participating.
Atom1 dominated Friday's 4:15pm game against the
Buffalo Shamrocks (NY) winning soundly
9-1, earning 5 point
(winning each period plus the game). The tournament was off to a great start but now it was pool time! Much fun was to be had back at the hotel along with the PeeWee and Bantam teams, who were also in Buffalo for the tournament.
Saturday morning's 8:00am game came painfully early but our little Bandits were ready for their match against the
Rome Grizzlies (NY). The score board doesn't reflect the effort
Atom1 had to give in their
7-0 loss against this impressive team
(who won their previous game 12-0 and who would eventually win the Pepsi Hockey Invitational, beating the Cortland Flames, 7-1). Well played game, Bandits!
The rest of the day was theirs to enjoy. Beverly Bandits PeeWees'
Coach Max had organized
Sabres tickets (Thank you!!). After cheering the Sabres to an overtime 3-2 victory,
Atom1 and the
PeeWees made their way to the
Pearl Street Grill & Brewery. If you find yourself in Buffalo, stop in – the staff did an excellent job taking care of all 80 some of us and the food/drinks were great!
Atom1 charged onto the ice Sunday at 12:30pm knowing they had a slim chance of moving forward to the championship game. They had to win every period plus the game. The
Cortland Flames (NY) were not going to make that easy! This was a team with speed and skill plus a couple of very strong goalies. Our Bandits battled the entire game and should be proud of the effort they gave and how well they played! The
3-1 loss was no defeat in the eyes of Coaches Fred, Steve and Lance nor any of their fans cheering them along.
It was a great tournament weekend with fun had by all!
A
BIG BANDIT THANK YOU to Coaches Fred, Steve and
Lance for all of your hard work mentoring your team throughout your amazing season! It takes good people like you, giving your time and expertise, to create results like these! To the
Atom1 Bandits...
Jefferson,
Cam,
Nolan,
Will A., Shamus, Evan, Alex, Jack, Mason, Duncan, Will J., Alexandre and
Devin... be proud of how far you have come, how well you have played, treasure the friendships and fun you have had at Beverly! Good luck with your summer activities and to those leaving Beverly, keep in touch!
GO BANDITS GO!
