The Eastern Ontario Cobras Atom AA team made their trip to Syracuse January 16-18 a memorable one, bringing back a championship trophy from the Syracuse Stars Crunch Shootout tournament.
Eastern Ontario showed they were a force to be reckoned with right from the start of the tournament, outshooting the Perinton Blades 40-2 on their way to an 8-0 romp in the opener.
Next up was the host Syracuse Stars, owners of a 19-9-9 record so far this season, but the Cobras were focused on beating them. And beat them they did - on the scoreboard, on the shot clock, to loose pucks, along the blue lines, in the corners and most notably in front of the net. The final score was 6-0, but the sense was it wasn't that close.
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After the game a buzzing Canadian press contingent surrounded an ashen faced Stars GM, who had little to say in reply. "Clearly the best team we've faced this year. Fast, strong, well coached, good goaltending and hungry for the net. I've never seen a team attack the net as hard. I hope it sends a message to our boys to play that way."
The Cobras swept the rest of their games in the round robin, and cruised through the playoffs, to face the Stars again in the final. Second time out and the result was the same, with the Cobras skating away with a 7-2 win.
The road trip was a great success, with the team, parents and other family members travelling together by bus to the tournament. The boys were able to visit the Syracuse Crunch (AHL) dressing room, and the moms, well, they went shopping. No surprise there.
All told a great trip that will be remembered for many years! |
