The Markham Waxers U15 BB Blue Team, coached by Darren Birta, got off to a solid start this weekend finishing as finalists in the NMHA Early Bird Startup Tournament. Tournament action started on Thursday night, September 28, with a game against the tournament host, Newmarket Renegades. The Waxers looked sharp in a 4-1 victory, with seven different players registering points in the game.
Friday’s action saw a match against the Barrie Colts, where a depleted team of ten Waxer skaters was able to wrestle Barrie to a 2-2 tie. Weekend round-robin action concluded on Saturday with the team facing a tough Waterloo Wolves team that handed the Waxers its first loss of the tournament, 3-1. In Sunday semifinal action, a more fully staffed Waxer team dispatched Barrie by a score of 4-1 with a late Sunday showdown against the Waterloo Wolves.
The Waxers fell short, losing 3-1 to Waterloo for a second time, taking home silver medals.
“It’s great to notch a few victories and get to the finals in these early-season tournaments, as every game counts towards our development as a team.” said Coach Darren Birta. “Despite a disappointing finish, we saw some things we liked, and learned a lot about what we need to do to get better.”
The team sees its next tournament action in the John MacDonald Memorial Tournament the weekend of Oct 20, 2023.