January 7-10, 2010, three Tri-City Eagle teams, parents and friends descended upon Lake Placid, NY for some winter fun.  Bantam Blue, Bantam Gold and the Pee Wees made the trek north to the home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics.  The weather was very snowy, the temps were in the teens and the fun was non-stop.  The kids went tubing, skated in zero degree temps on the Olympic Oval, and played outdoor hockey in a mini rink with college players home for the winter break.  We were up early and out late nearly every night.  And yes, all three teams played some great hockey:

Bantam Blue:  Bantam Blue faced 2 Canadian and 1 Vermont team.  Playing with superb goaltending and just 11 skaters, Bantam Blue recorded 2 shutouts, gave up just 3 goals, and won 4 games.  The championship game against a tough team from Ontario was tight the whole way as Bantam Blue took a 2-1 lead into the final 8 minutes of the game.  Withstanding a furious charge from the Canadians, Bantam Blue held on to bring home a championship.  Captain, Will Seiferth was named the tourney MVP and Jordan Farley, Bruce Stachitas and Zach Satin were players of the game during round robin play.

Bantam Gold:  Bantam Gold started the tourney with a  rather dull first game where they blew out their first opponent.  From there the play got tougher, rougher and very competitive.  Needing a win in their 3rd game to advance to the championship, Bantam Gold played an up and down game against a tough team from NY.  Goalie MIke Finn withstood a furious onslaught over the last 2 minutes and made a final glove save from point blank range to preserve the win with 7 seconds to go.  And that wasn't the most exciting game.  Bantam Gold played a very good team from Vermont in the championship game.  They battled this same team in the round robin to a 0-0 tie in a goalie duel.  The Championship can't end in a tie as Bantam Gold played well throughout the game that ended in a 1-1 tie after overtime.  The shootout then went 7 rounds as Bantam Gold came up just one shot short.  Bantam Gold players winning awards were Peter Dudley as best shooter, Mike Finn as best goalie, and Ryan Grimes for the Sportsmanship Award.

Pee Wees:  The Pee Wee team   won 2 of their 3 round robin games to earn a spot in the championship game against the Mass. team that beat them earlier 2-1.  The Pee Wees felt good about the upcoming championship because the earlier loss was from a game at the crack of dawn, after a late night of Lake Placid fun.  Playing on better rest the Pee Wees jumped out to an early lead and never looked back.  They controlled the championship game throughout and finished with 4-0 win.  Their opponent finished with just 8 shots on goal as it was clear that Tri-City was the better team. In a selfless act of team unity the Pee Wees presented the tourney MVP award to their injured teammate, Brando Kobernick.  Although Brando was unable to play, he was there the whole weekend and his presence was always felt.  Pee Wee players winning awards were Tiger Lindsay, as best shooter and Zach Howes as best goalie.

All three teams had a great time as we painted the town blue and gold.  Tri-City was everywhere around town and certainly the teams to beat on the ice.  Special thanks to TCE Goalie coach Sals Adams and TCE GM Clai Carr for making the trip to watch and cheer with the parents.  And thanks to Lake Placid, perhaps the best venue around for youth hockey tournaments!