The boys have brought home the silver!
Over the weekend, the U21 B Thorold Mount Blackhawks were crowned top champion in the International Silver Stick Tournament in Mooretown, Ontario.
“It was very exciting,” says the team’s head coach, Tim O’Brien, in an interview with ThoroldToday. “We played a great game. All the boys just really came together, they bought in for each other. One guy would pick up the next guy. It was great hockey, very good."
The team remained undefeated throughout the whole competition before finishing off the Haldimand River Kings 6-2 in the final.
“It’s a very prestigious tournament — it’s the first time we’ve won it,” O’Brien says. "To get to hold that silver stick, it’s been a chase for a long time and it was just so great for the boys. They keep it there and we get our name on it. They gave us a trophy with a stick on it to take home. We’re going to put it up in the Thorold arena and we have the banner to hang.”
O’Brien credits the landslide victory to the team's close bond.
“They can’t do it as individuals, they have to work together,” he says. “The defence has to play, the forwards have to pick up when there are mistakes, or guys in the penalty box got to step up. We got to score when we have our chances. From one guy to the next.”
How does O'Brien get his team ready for a big competition like the International Silver Stick Tournament?
“It’s all about the boys,” he says. “And I have a very good staff of assistant coaches. That’s a big part of it. The coaches really step up and work hard with these boys.”
While the team is riding high on the win, the hockey season isn’t over yet and there are still a few unclaimed victories ahead.
“We’re gearing up for the OMHA playoffs in March,” says O’Brien. “Now they got a taste of winning, they want more. This is just the stepping stone towards the big one.”
