Heading in London Ontario for the Early Bird Tourney, the Minor PeeWee '99 Lakers had only one thing in mind, to simply play better hockey. They played 4 very competitive games splitting the series with 2 wins and 2 losses. The weekend action had two distinct highlights.
After a great day of hockey the team and many family members took part in the London Knights home opener which showcased a tight matchup against the Plymouth Whalers and Lakers alumnus Garrett Meurs. This great game had it all... a late minute tying goal, OT and a Shootout. Not only was it fun to watch but also a great learning experience for our players never to give up on the game regardless the score.
The other highlight, of course, was the relentless effort and focus the players put forth against the team from Ottawa in game 3 the very next morning. Drawing on the success and failure in the first two games the Lakers put together a complete game with every player playing their best to date in the opinion of all the coaches. Solid checking and goaltending with a commitment to finishing the game as strong as they started proved to be too much for the Ottawa team and the Lakers won deservingly. Unfortunately, the players were unable to repeat that effort in game 4 leaving the tournament on a less then upbeat feeling.
However, on a positive note players have shown all coaches and parents the level of game play they are capable of and as a result they have set a new standard for this team. The challenge now is to repeat that standard of play and intensity going forward on a regular basis this season.
This weekend the Lakers head south to play the Sun County Panthers and the Windsor Spitfires in the infamous Windsor Loop Series.