Less than a month into the new season, two Belleville Bearcats girls’ hockey teams have already experienced a memorable championship weekend
The U11 AA and U15 A Bearcats both came out on top of their respective fields at the North Halton Fall Showcase, held September 11-13.
Both the U11AA and U15A teams captured championships after six-game tournament runs against competition from across Ontario and the United States.
The U11AA Bearcats competed in a 10-team field featuring teams from St. Catharines, Peterborough, North Bay, Kitchener, Etobicoke, Brantford, North Halton, Grand River and Guelph.
Belleville finished round-robin play with three wins and a tie before defeating the Kitchener Lady Rangers 4-2 in the quarter-final. That set up a semi-final rematch with the Brock Jr. Badgers after the two teams had battled to a tie earlier in the tournament.
The Bearcats came out on top in the rematch, earning a spot in the championship game against the Etobicoke Dolphins.
The final was an offensive battle from start to finish. Belleville continued to press and came away with a 7-5 victory to capture its first championship of the season.
“This group has put in a tremendous amount of work, and what stood out this weekend was how hard they competed for each other,” stated U11AA Head Coach Joe Thompson.
“They faced adversity, stayed together and kept pushing. To see that work and belief in one another translate into a championship this early in the season is pretty special.”
For the U15A Bearcats, North Halton presented a different kind of challenge. The team chose to enter the tournament’s AA division, testing itself against higher-level competition.
Facing an eight-team field that included opponents from Ontario and the United States, Belleville finished round-robin play with three wins and one loss before meeting the Huron Heat in the semi-final.
A hard-fought 2-1 victory sent the Bearcats to the championship game against the WNY Jr. Cataracts, where they clinched a thrilling 5-4 victory with a winning goal eight seconds into overtime.
“I’m incredibly proud of this team and the determination, teamwork and never-give-up attitude they showed all weekend,” stated U15A Head Coach Evan Osterhout. “We chose to compete at the AA level because we wanted to challenge ourselves, and the girls embraced it. They showed what it means to compete, believe in each other and keep battling right to the very end.”
Photos of both championship teams are below.
Photo: Submitted
Photo: Submitted
