OMHA - Ontario Minor Hockey Association

TNT Tornados blow into London to Capture Championship

Monday, December 03, 2012

New Tecumseh, ON: - On Friday November 23rd the TNT Minor Atom AE hockey team headed westward for an exciting 10 team tournament in London, Ontario.

The Dan Pulham Memorial Tournament started with TNT playing the Ajax Knights. The long drive westward had obviously taken its toll on the young tornados, with Ajax getting the first goal with just 54 seconds into the game. TNT quickly settled down and showed Ajax how hockey is played north of Highway 9 winning the game 5-1.

TNT then played the Peterborough Pete Minors. The Tornados deposited 2 quick goals behind the Peterborough backstop to show that they meant business. 3 more goals gave TNT a commanding 5-1 lead, although to Peterborough’s credit, they never stopped the pressure. Peterborough’s perseverance paid off and as the young tornadoes were catching their second wind, they found themselves nursing a 5-3 lead at the end of the second. The boys settled down and managed to hold onto a 5-4 lead and earn a second victory.

With the taste of victory saturating the tornados pallet, the next morning saw a 4-0 victory over the Meadowvale Hawks, securing a quarter final birth later that afternoon. TNT played hometown favorites-the London Bandits-Black and robbed them of any chance of securing a championship title in their own tournament with a 4-1 victory.

The final day of game play was set for both the Semi Final and Championship games. The two finalists for the past 3 Years had been the Burlington Bulldogs and Hamilton Spitfires, with Hamilton always coming out on top.

The Semi-final game saw the young Tornados battle the stubborn Bulldogs with neither team backing down from the other. The tension filled game ended with 1 minute and 15 seconds left in overtime and a 2-1 decision in favour of TNT Tornados.

The Championship game saw the Tornados battle the incumbent champions for the past 3 years-The Hamilton Spitfires. The Tornados left The Spitfires in the dust with a decisive 5-0 victory giving them the coveted championship title. Congratulations to TNT Tornados Minor Atom AE Team. The hard work and perseverance has paid off!

Submitted by Brent Swackhamer

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