Wow, what an unbelievable ending to a fabulous tournament. Team Illinois, the mighty juggernaut of hockey from the Midwest , outlasted the heroic exploits of a determined band of Hornets to clinch a 1-0 tournament championship victory in a game that will be long remembered by all of the players and spectators as one of the best games ever played on RMU Ice. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife before the game as both teams realized I think what a mighty clash of powers this game was going to be.
The action was fast and furious at the drop of the puck and continued on that way for the rest of the game. Team Illinois proved why they are the top team in the country right now as they fired 31 shots on Rob Madore from almost every conceivable angle, missing the net only 5 times with their shots. Madore was up to the challenge though, as he showed more energy, speed and quickness than "a long tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs" either snagging or deflecting most every type of scoring opportunity launched by TI. Robbie blended his incredible speed and quickness with strong angle play and a steady, confident mental demeanor to stand tall in the net and thwart TI throughout the onslaught.
The Hornets though made a statement that they too are a legitimate contender for the national championship this year as they were clearly fired up and fed off of the play and leadership of Robbie, firing 17 very good shots on Beau Christian in goal for TI who played strong as well and demonstrated why he is such a solid anchor for the hockey juggernaut known as TI. Though the excited and agressive Hornets missed the net with shots 11 times and hit a post and a cross bar, TI also had their share of "close but no cigar" moments as they hit the post 2x and the cross bar once as well. Through their hard work and determination that have made them a role model for other MWEHL teams, TI finally cracked the Hornet armor on a goal scored midway through the first half by Rick Carden of TI on a nice assist by Cory George.
This thin one-goal lead proved to be the margin of victory as the Hornets and TI battled through another epic, yet scoreless half. As the game wound down, the tension mounted, people were on their feet screaming, and the Hornets pushed it to the limit and put the pressure on, but TI stood strong and firm in their determination, and wound up with an exciting, memorable victory and tournament championship, extending their record to mind-numbing 31-0. Outstanding!! Congratulations are in order to TI Head coach Jim Marchi (top shelf and classy guy all the way), assistant coach Phil Doyle, the TI players and the entire TI Program (with a reputation for hockey excellence and class, a reputation that was enhanced even more by their play this weekend) for a well played final and a well earned victory.
The level of play throughout the tournament was tremendous and though it was tough to see every kid play every game, we did get to see some fine performances that we thought were worthy of mentioning, and sharing our congratulations to :
- Justin Florek (90 Birth already committed to Northern Mich.)
- AJ Jenks (90 birth year already committed to Michigan)
- Steven West (90 rumored to being recruited by Ohio State)
- James Gallagher Marquette
- Scott Pulak
- Alan Hokum G from Marquette
- Anthony Schooley (89 commited to Mich tech)
- Brian O'Neill Philadelphia
- Joel Lundstrom Pikes Peak
- John Ryder Pikes Peak
- Ryan Craig Tri City
- Domenic Morrone Philadelphia
- John Williams Philadelphia
- Derrick Kohles (Russell Stover)
For those of you with subscriptions, please feel free to visit our good friends at US Hockey News at http://www.ushockeynews.com/ where they have also posted a tournament recap and and "All Prospects" team as well. For those of you who don't have a subscription, please consider strongly getting one if you are into following amateur hockey, as the coaches, scouts and reporters for amateur hockey involved with ushockeynews.com, guys like Jason Koehler for example, are some of the best guys in the amateur hockey world when it comes to evaluating hockey talent.
The Hornet organization would like to congratulate all of the tournament participants for an outstanding tournament and a great hockey experience that we all shared. We hope to see you all at next years tournament as the battle will then begin to seize the crown from the reigning champion Team Illinois !
