A pair of Squamish hockey squads walked away undefeated from tournaments over the Remembrance Day weekend.
The Squamish Eagles U13 C1 team took home the gold medal at the Richmond Jets Ice Breaker Tournament between Nov. 11 and 13 in Richmond, B.C. According to Sabrina Horlyck, whose son plays for the team, the Eagles had a close game against the Cloverdale Colts in the championship match that saw the Eagles climb all the way back from an initial 0-4 deficit.
But, she said the team settled in during the second period after some inspiration from the coaches.
“As their coach says, death by a thousand cuts, so they just slowly chipped away,” she said.
Slowly but surely, the Eagles prevailed 7-5.
Head coach, Craig Halliday, credited the team’s resiliency and work ethic.
“They never give up. They just kept going and going,” he said. “And next thing you knew, we were up at the end of the game.”
“It was a super exciting game,” said Horlyck. “It was just really impressive to see how hard the kids worked and just how well they worked under pressure.”
And, for what it’s worth, the Eagles remained undefeated so far this season with the win. They even had a game the following day and kept the streak alive.
“They’re just kind of on a roll,” Horlyck said.
She said the team will continue playing right up until the holidays and there will be a few tournaments in the new year, which should be fairly competitive.
Looking ahead, Halliday said the team will be focusing on building good habits and work ethic.
Horlyck said she was very grateful for all the hard work the team and coaches have put into the season so far.
“The focus and the dedication that they have because of the coaching … it really showed in the tournament,” she said.
Halliday added his gratitude for other coaches who also help teach a variety of skills.
Equally impressive, the U11 A1 Eagles went undefeated at the Ridge Meadows Remembrance Day tournament over the same weekend and took home the gold medal after beating a Campbell River team 9-1.
The U11 A1 team scored a whopping 48 goals over their six games and allowed only eight. The plus-40 goal differential was the best among all 35 teams that participated in the tournament.
Keep up with all squads with the Squamish Eagles by visiting the website squamishminorhockey.com.
