Max Partlo Memorial Hockey Tournament
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Tillsonburg All Seasons Sports Exchange novices, also known as Local League No. 2, won their third tournament of the season last weekend.
And they did it Sunday morning on home ice with a 5-2 win over South Huron in the Colin Campbell Community Arena.
“It was a good season, the kids had a lot of fun,” said LL2 novice coach Eric MacFadden.
“And more importantly, winning didn’t matter at the end of the day, they all learned so much. It was pretty awesome.”
The LL2 novices opened the three-day TMHI Max Partlo Memorial Local League Hockey Tournament with a 4-0 win over Thorold Friday afternoon. They followed it up with a 4-1 win against Aylmer Saturday afternoon.
“It was tough,” said MacFadden, noting how the LL2 Tornadoes finished second in the five-team novice division based on goal differential after two round-robin games.
South Huron received a bye straight to the Novice A Final. The LL2 novices defeated Tillsonburg Family Pet Centre LL1 12-0 in a Sunday morning novice semifinal.
“That got the kids pumped up.”
Tillsonburg LL1 went on to play in the B Final against Thorold, who won 3-1.
“It was a good, tight game,” McFadden noted.
Together with Tillsonburg’s novice rep hockey team, winners of the North American Silver Stick A championship and OMHA BB championship, and two strong novice house league teams, the Tornadoes should be strong for years to come in that age bracket. It’s a feather in the cap for TMHI’s IP program - beginners, junior tykes and tykes.
“It’s a good program and it’s an age group – moving up together – that should make for some good hockey… at rep, AE and local league. We had a strong tyke program when those kids all came through.
“Novice is typically for 8-year-olds, but we also have three tyke-age players who we pulled up every game, and they were out there today. So a few of them have a head start (at novice) already.”
After an undefeated Southern Counties regular season, Tillsonburg LL2 novices lost 2-1 to Simcoe in the A championship final on March 10. Simcoe upset the All Seasons Sports Exchange novices with a late third-period winner.
“We just came up a really good goalie,” said MacFadden. “But there was a lot to learn from losing.”
He said the coaches were proud of the team’s sportsmanship in their only Southern Counties loss.
“Good teams are defined by the way they win, great teams by the way they lose. The kids were upset, but I was proud of them.”
The LL2 novices, who had earlier in the season won a tournament in Port Stanley (finalists in Strathroy), went on to play in a Mount Brydges tournament, March 14-15, during the March Break, and won it, undefeated in four games.
“That kind of got the kids back on track.”
Tillsonburg LL1 2, Aylmer 1
Tillsonburg LL1 scoring: 1. Tucker Krossey (Nolan Mogg); 2. Quinn Ketchabaw (Neven Greguric, Tyson Fulara).
Tillsonburg LL2 4, Thorold 0
Tillsonburg LL2 scoring: 1. Braxton VanRybroeck (Nicholas Behman); 2. Kaden Bailey (Evan Starkey); 3. Conner Latta (Jack Soares); 4. Braxton VanRyboeck.
South Huron 6, Tillsonburg LL1 0
Tillsonburg LL2 4, Aylmer 1
Tillsonburg LL2 scoring: 1. Kaden Bailey (Evan MacFadden, Kaylee Millard); 2. Jack Soares (Conner Latta); 3. Jack Soares (Kaden Bailey).
Semifinals
Tillsonburg LL2 12, Tillsonburg LL1 0
Tillsonburg LL2 scoring: 1. Braxton VanRybroeck (Nicholas Behman); 2. Kaden Bailey; 3. Kaden Bailey (Nicholas Smart); 4. Kaylee Millard (Braxton VanRybroeck, Evan MacFadden); 5. Evan MacFadden (Kaden Bailey); 6. Kaden Bailey; 7. Jack Soares; 8. Nicholas Behman (Jack Soares); 9. Braxton VanRybroeck; 10. Kaden Bailey (Evan MacFadden); 11. Jordan MacFadden (Kaden Bailey); 12. Braxton VanRybroeck (Nicholas Smart).
B Final
Thorold 3, Tillsonburg LL1 1
Tillsonburg LL1 scoring: 1. Quinn Ketchabaw (Tucker Krossey).
A Final
Tillsonburg LL2 5, South Huron 2
Tillsonburg LL2 scoring: 1. Jack Soares (Eric Allen); 2. Braxton VanRybroeck; 3. Braxton VanRybroeck (Jack Soares); 4. Jack Soares (Kaden Bailey); 5. Braxton VanRybroeck (Nicholas Behman).