The Easthill Autohaus Walkerton Pee Wee Capitals travelled to Ayton on Saturday, Dec.2 to participate in the West Grey Minor Hockey Association Pee Wee Tournament. After 3 action-paked games, the Capitals were named tournament runner-up.
Walkerton's first game of the tournament was against Flesherton. Walkerton started the game a little slow, but eventually started moving their feet and playing as a team. Once the boys got in their groove Flesherton was not able to match their intensity and skill, with Walkerton pulling away for a 6-1 victory, earning 9 out of a possible 9 points in the process.
The second game of the day had the Capitals playing against a very good Kincardine Kinucks team. Walkerton was forced to play the majority of the game with 9 skaters due to penalty troubles. This was a close game the entire way, with Walkerton leading 1-0 after the first period thanks to a short-handed goal. Kincardine slowly gained momentum from the Capitals, finally tieing the game 1-1 in the third period. Both teams had chances to win the game, but no one was able to pot the go-ahead goal, sending the game to overtime. The overtime period did not last long though, as Walkerton scored less than 2 minutes into the extra frame. The hard-fought victory earned the Capitals 5 out of a possible 9 points and secured a berth in the Championship Game.
The Championship Game pitted Walkerton against Elmvale. Walkerton was again forced to play the game with only 9 skaters. Walkerton jumped out to a quick start to the game, but Elmvale whethered the storm thanks in large part to some key saves by their goaltender. It didn't take long for the momentum to shift Elmvale's way as they scored twice before the end of the first period. Despite being under-manned, the Capitals kept playing hard, and managed to cut the lead to 2-1 for Elmvale by the end of the second. The third period saw Elmvale add a third goal to make the score 3-1. Both teams battled to the final buzzer but Walkerton was unable to earn a victory. With that result Walkerton was named Tournament Runner-Up.
Congratulations to Elmvale on a well-deserved tournament championship. Thanks also to the West Grey Minor Hockey Association for hosting the tournament. The Capitals coaching staff, parents and Super-Fan Darlene were very proud of the boys for playing their hearts out over the course of the day. Honourable mention goes to Dylan for being named MVP for Walkerton in the Championship Game. The Capitals hope to build on the momentum in their final push before playoffs begin.
