There is nothing like a hockey tourney out of
town to bring your team together...and Pink the Rink seems to take it to the
next level! This past weekend the Bantam B Wolverines headed down the 401
to participate in the highly anticipated 10th Annual Pink the Rink Tournament
in Etobicoke.
As much as the hockey was a huge focus, the excitement started back in early October when the girls set out on a fundraising mission for Abbey's Goal. "Abbey Tran was 9 years old and passed away from a rare blood disorder, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis. Abbey was a teammate, an artist, an athlete and an advocate. Abbey was a warrior." The girls and parents baked up a storm then set up shop in front of No Frills (thanks No Frills!!) on the morning of October 5th taking donations in exchange for tasty cookies, cupcakes, muffins and all varieties of baked goods. They raised a whopping $853 to donate to Abbey's Goal!
Feeling good about their fundraising endeavours the girls packed up their hockey gear, grabbed their sticks, donned their crazy pink clothes and accessories and hustled to the Ford Performance Centre, the practice facility of the Toronto Maple Leafs. There was much talk of seeing Marner, but it was Nylander who made their day, stopping to say Hi and take pics and selfies with the girls on the way out of the parking lot. He might be a new favourite among the girls!]
With their sticks wrapped in pink tape and the names of loved ones who have battled cancer written on the front and back, the girls faced the Kanata Rangers in their first game. After some nerves and adjustments they settled into a strong second half, but came up a little short losing 3-1 with an empty-netter. Not to be deterred, they had a good lunch and reloaded to take on the Mississauga Hurricanes and came away with a convincing 2-0 victory.
The evening was spent hanging out at the hotel, reliving the Nylander moments, and maybe a moment or two checking their phones...!
Saturday was a must win for the girls to advance to the Championship side of the tournament. They took the ice against the Vaughn Flames with a passion and determination that could carry them very far this season. It was a valiant effort by all and the Wolverines were rewarded with a 4-0 victory.
With a long gap before the Semi-Final at 8pm the girls, coaches, staff and parents all enjoyed some Pita Pit chow at the hotel followed by an epic game of Amazing Race. You think this group is competitive on the ice, you should see them hustle from room to room to balance dice on a stick and drop marshmellows into cones for the honour of being the Amazing Race Winner!
Saturday evening's game versus the host Etobicoke Dolphins was a must-win affair to move onto the final game on Sunday. The girls went down 1-0 in the first, but pushed through their nerves to tie it up in the second. One period for Etobicoke and one period for Wilmot...we needed to win the third. Each line pushed hard every shift, pressured their opponent and finally found the back of the net to make it 2-1 where it stayed until the final buzzer.
Sunday was an exciting day as the Final was held back at the Ford Performance Centre and the word spread quickly that Leafs were practicing afterwards. It may just have been a rumour, but some say Marner was a bit nervous taking the ice after the Wolvervines as their pink jerseys were sharper than anything he'd ever sported before. We'll have to watch Sportscentre to see if it's true!!
The Wolverines had a second crack at the Kanata Rangers in the Final Game, but just couldn't match their scoring power and fell 4-1 with another empty-netter. That said, the girls emptied their tanks on the ice and played their hearts out.
The weekend was capped off by some touching words from Abbey's grandmother about how much she appreciated the Wolverine's donation and support. The team received their silver medals, congratulated their opponents and gave a round of applause to their staff and coaches for a great tourney all around.
Just to keep the fun going for a little longer the Leafs took the ice for practice to the delight of the girls. Shrieks, claps, pics and selfies were the new focus of the day!!
The girls are back to their regular schedule for 2 short weeks then go back at it in Waterloo at the Ravens Fall Challenge Cup. They may not have their pink jerseys that weekend, but they will no doubt be representing the Wolverine spirit in the Blue and Yellows!
Thanks to everyone involved before, during and after the tournament to make it such a great success. A wonderful cause, great hockey, and memories (mostly in pink) to last a whole hockey career.
