Congratulations to the
U14AAA Raiders on becoming 2024 Oakville Rangers Winter Classic Tournament
champions this past weekend!
In round robin play,
the U14s beat the Oakville Rangers
(5-1), York-Simcoe Express (5-2) and lost to the Burlington Eagles (7-2). However, a tie with the Oshawa Generals (1-1) on goal scored in the final moments of their
last round robin game punched
the Raiders’ ticket to the semi-finals.
Congratulations to the
U14AAA Raiders on becoming 2024 Oakville Rangers Winter Classic Tournament
champions this past weekend!
In round robin play,
the U14s beat the Oakville Rangers
(5-1), York-Simcoe Express (5-2) and lost to the Burlington Eagles (7-2). However, a tie with the Oshawa Generals (1-1) on goal scored in the final moments of their
last round robin game punched
the Raiders’ ticket to the semi-finals.
A 4-2
victory Sunday morning over the defending OMHA Champion Whitby Wildcats in the semis landed the boys in the finals versus a
confident Burlington Eagles team who presented the greatest
challenge to the group during round robin play.
Unfazed and
mission-focused, the team battled hard through three periods. As the clock was
winding down, the team was trailing on the scoreboard 3-2 until they ultimately
found the back of the net on a thrilling buzzer-beating goal with their
net empty and less than one
second left in the game. Having
pushed the game into overtime, the U14s
harnessed the momentum from their late goal and continued to play with the grit
and heart they had displayed
throughout the weekend. As the Raiders continued to drive the pace in
the 3 on 3 overtime period, Burlington took a tripping penalty in lieu of
allowing a streaking Raider a high-quality uncontested scoring chance. The boys
capitalized by finally converting on the power play to secure sudden victory
and win the U14AAA
Championship at Canada’s largest tournament!
