U9 B Huron Heat win 'Survive the Hive' tournament in Oakville
BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN
Over the weekend, the U9 B Huron Heat travelled to Oakville in an attempt to “Survive the Hive” at the Oakville Hornets tournament of the same name, and did they ever.
The team won the U9 B championship at the tournament, defeating the Niagara Falls Rapids in the finals by a score of 1-0.
The local team’s tournament run began on Friday morning with an 8-1 victory over the Whitby Wolves and an 11-0 shutout win over the Mississauga Hurricanes later that day.
On Saturday, the Heat beat the host Oakville Hornets by a score of 3-1 before besting the Etobicoke Dolphins by a score of 9-1 in the semi-finals, leading to the championship game showdown on Sunday with Niagara Falls, which the Heat won by a score of 1-0 to win the gold.
Also over the weekend, the U15 B Huron Heat made it all the way to the semi-finals at the 43rd annual Walter Gretzky Tournament in Brantford, falling to the Norfolk Hericanes by a score of 2-0 in the semi-final round last Sunday morning.
Tournament play for the Heat began on Friday morning with a 4-0 win over the Hamilton Hawks, followed by a 2-1 loss to the host Brantford Ice Cats later that afternoon. The next day, the Heat beat the Haldimand River Cats by a score of 3-2 that afternoon before shutting out the Ancaster Avalanche that night in the quarterfinal round by a score of 3-0.
That earned the Heat a date with the Norfolk Hericanes in the semi-final round, which the locals lost by a score of 2-0. The Hericanes would go on to lose in the championship game, falling to the Chatham Kent Crush by a score of 1-0 in the finals.
In more local action, on Monday, Feb. 24, the U18 BB Heat lost their playdown with the Aces in Stratford by a score of 2-1. Also that night, the U13 B Heat was scheduled to be on the road for a playdown with the St. Marys Rock, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time.
In Sunday playoff action, the U13 C Heat beat the Stratford Aces by a score of 2-1 on the road, the U15 A Heat tied the Chatham Kent Crush at two in Clinton, the U13 B Heat beat the Mount Forest Rams by a score of 2-1 in Brussels, the U13 HL Heat lost to the Tillsonburg Lightning by a score of 5-1, also in Brussels, the U13 A Heat lost by a score of 5-4 to the Windsor Wildcats on the road and the U18 C Heat lost to the Woodstock Wildcats in Seaforth by a score of 2-0. The U11 A Heat played the Kincardine Kinucks in Clinton and the Senior team played the Huron Cats in Hensall, but scores for those playoff games were unavailable at press time.
In regular season action that day, the U9 HL Heat lost to the Lady Sting Black team in Sarnia by a score of 5-2 and the U9 C Heat hosted the St. Marys Rock in Clinton, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time.
On Saturday, the U9 HL team beat the St. Marys Rock in Seaforth by a score of 11-1, the U9 C Heat tied the Lambeth Lancers at one, also in Seaforth, and U18 BB Heat lost to the Stratford Aces in Clinton by a score of 5-2. The Senior C team played a regular season game with Elma Logan on the road, but a score for that game was unavailable at press time.
In playoff action that day, the U13 B Heat beat the Walkerton Capitals by a score of 2-1 on the road, the U13 C Heat tied the Woodstock Wildcats at one in Blyth, the U13 HL Heat shutout Lucan/Ilderton in Seaforth by a score of 6-0, the U11 C Heat tied the Stratford Aces on the road at one, the U15 A Heat lost to the Chatham Kent Crush on the road by a score of 5-0, the U11 A Heat lost to the Kincardine Kinucks on the road by a score of 6-0, the U13 A Heat lost to the Wildcats in Windsor by a score of 7-1 and the U18 C Heat lost to the B.A.D. Blazers on the road by a score of 2-1. The U15 C Heat travelled to London for a playoff game with the Devilettes that day as well, but a score was unavailable at press time.
Two playoff games were played on Friday, with the U13 A Heat beating the Windsor Wildcats in Seaforth by a score of 1-0 and the U15 A Heat losing their playdown with the Stratford Aces in Hensall by a score of 5-1. Both Heat games played one day earlier ended in a tie, with the U18 BB Heat playing to a 2-2 tie with the Brantford Ice Cats in Blyth and the U13 HL Heat tying the Central Perth Predators at one on the road.
On Wednesday, Feb. 19, the U13 A Heat played to a 1-1 tie with the South Huron Sabres on the road and, on Monday, Feb. 17, games between the U13 A Heat and the London Devilettes in Hensall and the U15 B Heat and the St. Marys Rock on the road were cancelled due to weather.
Looking ahead, there are three playoff games on the schedule for tonight, Friday, Feb. 28. The U11 HL Heat will play the South Huron Sabres in Blyth, the U15 A Heat will play the Saugeen Maitland Lightning in Hensall and the U13 A Heat will play the South Huron Sabres in Seaforth.
On Saturday, in playoff action, the U15 B Heat will host the St. Marys Rock in Goderich, the U11 A Heat will play the South Huron Sabres on the road, the U15 A Heat will play the Saugeen Maitland Lightning on the road, the U11 C Heat will host the Woodstock Wildcats in Seaforth, the U11 HL Heat will play the West Oxford Inferno, also in Seaforth, the U15 B Heat will play the St. Marys Rock on the road, the U18 C Heat will play the St. Marys Rock on the road, the U15 C Heat will play the Lambton Attack on the road and the U18 BB Heat will host the Stratford Aces in Clinton.
The U9 B and U9 HL Heat teams will both be in regular season action that day in Seaforth, taking on the Wilmot Wolverines and Sarnia Lady Sting teams, respectively.
The next day, Sunday, March 2, the U15 B Heat and the U15 A Heat will host playoff games with the Kitchener Lady Rangers and South Huron Sabres, respectively, in Clinton, while the U13 B Heat will welcome the Kincardine Kinucks to Brussels for a playoff game that afternoon. In other playoff action, the U18 BB Heat will play the Aces in Stratford, the U11 C Heat will play the Lambeth Lancers on the road and the U18 C Heat will host the B.A.D. Blazers in Seaforth.
In regular season action, the Senior C team will play the Upper Maitland Mustangs in Brussels and the U9 B team will be on the road to take on the Waterloo Ravens.
On Monday, March 3, three Heat teams will be on the road for playoff games. The U15 A Heat will play the Stratford Aces, the U15 B Heat will play the South Huron Sabres and the U18 BB Heat will play the Stratford Aces.
The next day, three Heat teams are in playoff action with all the games being played at home. The U13 C Heat will welcome the Lucknow/Wingham 86ers to Brussels, while the U11 C Heat will play the St. Marys Rock and the U15 B Heat will play the South Huron Sabres, both in Seaforth.
On Wednesday, March 5, the U13 B Heat will host a playoff game with the Central Perth Predators, while the U18 C Heat will be in Howick for a playoff game with the Upper Maitland Mustangs. The following day, the U18 C Heat will host a playoff game with the Central Perth Predators in Blyth and the U13 C Heat will head to Hensall for a playoff game with the South Huron Sabres.