T’was the week after Christmas and all through the town, parents and their children were just settling down – all but the Flamborough peewee Select players, who were off to north Toronto to take part in their first tournament.

With only two games under their belt, the squad, comprised of 18 families, made the trek to the big city to test its skills against some very well-established teams.

The boys took the challenge seriously, and with grit and determination, confronted team number one.

A 3-1 win against Thornhill set the tone for the boys; they did deserve to be there.

Their next opponents, who won their first game, were from East York.  Not wavering in their effort, the Flamborough boys worked hard – even their opponents were applauding their efforts.

With two goals on 32 shots, the Select team scored four on nine for a 4-2 victory.

After firmly securing the second-place spot, the team took a bit of a break.

The Flamborough boys suffered their first defeat to north Toronto – a 3-1 loss in a meaningless game. (We would see them again).

As they entered the arena for the semifinals, that same North Toronto team was already planning its final game against the undefeated North York Knights.

But those city boys were a bit premature in their plans.

After Flamborough handed them a 6-0 loss, they all stated emphatically: “Where was this team yesterday?”

It was then that parents and players from both teams began planning, coaching and advising us as to how ‘this little team’ might slay those mighty Knights – a daunting task.

With the big game ahead, the boys had already surpassed their goal – they had held their own in the tournament. Now, they were off to the finals.

With most of the teams in their tier applauding their efforts and wishing them luck, the boys knew – win or lose – they had represented Flamborough well.

The boys began each game shaking their opponents’ hand, the only team in their tier to do so.

They garnered the support of their opponents with lots of “good game, nice shot, and great save.” In fact, one parent even said they enjoyed playing us more than any of the other teams – “our sportsmanship and great attitude was really quite refreshing”.

So the final game came and went – the boys gave North York a scare with the tightest tournament game.

As the second-place trophies were handed out, and the fanfare began, parents of the peewee Selects noticed the members of the other team watching the Flamborough boys celebrate their loss, and parents from both sides cheering for the second-place team.

The peewee Selects are coached by Gord Dean, Erika Dean and Wayne Power. The team includes players Evan Andrew, Adam Bezan, James Corry, Jacob Costantino, David Dean, Nevan Ferguson, Kyle Kitchen, Jordan Link, Riley McNab, Michael McPhail, Mitchell Pawlik, Logan Philpott, Jacob Pleskina, Andrew Power, Logan Robinson, Dante Tesoro, Jack Thompson, Jacob Wilsack, and Christopher Islip.

-Submitted by Stephanie Wilsack