Wildcat Winter Slam Recap
During November, we were excited to host our annual Wildcat Winter Slam Sled Hockey Tournament at Alice Noble Ice Arena. Although it wasn’t quite on the same scale as our typical tournament, we were happy to host the Central Illinois Thunder Adult and Junior teams as well as the Michigan Sled Dogs Adult team. With the 2019-20 season coming to an abrupt end last March, and the uncertainty surrounding the season ahead, it was clear that the athletes were happy to be back on the ice with an opportunity to compete again. There were smiles abound on the faces of both the athletes and their family members in the stands.
The weekend started out strong for the Wildcats as the adult team secured a 6-0 victory over the Thunder. The Junior Wildcats followed it up with a strong showing of their own, winning 5-0 over the Junior Thunder. The greatest challenge of the tournament came when the Wildcat Adults played a very strong Sled Dogs team. The Wildcats fought hard but ended up falling 2-5 to end their first day of competition. The Wildcat Juniors ended the day on a positive note with a 1-0 victory over the Thunder.
On day two, the Wildcat Adults bounced back with a 3-0 victory over the Thunder, however it appeared that fatigue set in during game 2 as the Wildcats lost to the Sled Dogs 1-5. The adult team finished the tournament with an inter-squad game where Team A squeaked out a 3-2 victory over Team B and earned team bragging rights. The Junior Wildcats defeated the Thunder 2-0 in their first game on day 2, but couldn’t quite get the goal they needed in the Championship game, losing a heartbreaker to the Thunder 0-1. The junior team finished 3-1 for the tournament while the adult team finished 2-2.
Overall, it was a great way to kick off our 2020-21 season! The Wildcat coaches were happy with the effort as they felt that their players left it all out on the ice. Assistant Coach, Alexic Yoder, felt that both teams played very strong defensive games, keeping the puck out of our zone and being on the attack for the majority of games. The Wildcats will get back to work at practice as they prepare for what will hopefully be more competitive opportunities in the new year.