The journey began in April of 2009. The girls hit the ice 5 months later, eager to get the ball rolling. They worked hard every practice (although they needed a reminder now and then), and knew what it would take to play rep hockey and to wear that Chaos jersey with pride.
Skate Sharpening - $5
Gatorade - $2.50
Hockey Stick - $40
Hotel Stay - $100
Girls' work ethic - Unbelievable
The results ?
PRICELESS
2009 St. Catharines Chaos Tournament Atom A/BB Gold Medal
2010 Scarborough Sharks Atom A Gold Medal
2010 Walter Gretzky Tournament Atom BB Gold Medal
2009-10 LLFHL Atom BB Geraldine Heaney Division Champions - undefeated
2009-10 LLFHL Atom BB League Champions
And last, but not least :
2010 OWHA Atom BB Provincial Champions
The OWHA Championship in Mississauga was the last time the girls would play together as a team. Not the happiest scenario, but they were here to play some hockey and hopefully be recognized as the #1 Atom BB in Ontario.
It started off a little shaky with a 1 - 0 loss to the Carelton Place Cyclones, a hard working team from just outside of Ottawa. The next 2 games the Chaos girls re-grouped to earn 2 - 0 victories over Whitby and North Halton with 2 goals by Alexa and 1 each to Genny and Chiara. Assists went to Sheilagh, Mayla and Brynna with 2 each and 1 to Genny. Shutouts were shared by Karissa and Tamara.
The quarter final was against the Sudbury Lady Wolves, a strong team that we met in Barrie. Knowing that it was do-or-die from now on, the Chaos girls played one of their strongest games of the season and showed an incredible amount of heart and work ethic in a 2 - 0 victory. They were backchecking and forechecking beyond belief, blocking hard shots, skating non-stop. Alexa scored the 2 goals assisted by Rylee on one and Brynna on the other. In these shutout games, Tamara and Karissa played awesome; and when they weren't on the ice, they were cheering the team on.
The semi-final game against Markham was accompanied by an unbelieveable and embarassing display of officiating. The Chaos girls had 2 or 3 goals called back, the refereeing actually had these young ladies in tears due to frustration. They were working there tails off and were getting ripped off. With Markham up 1 - 0, the Chaos pulled the goalie with about 1 minute left. With the extra attacker and some serious forechecking, Laura and Rowan got the puck to Mayla who found the back of the net with 12 seconds left in the game to keep the dream alive. It was an incredible display of team effort that led to this tying goal. Huge saves by Karissa and Tamara, great work by the defence and forwards. They never quit and kept their composure with all of the refereeing junk that was going on. The game then went to 10 minute sudden-death overtimes before Alexa scored with 54 seconds left in the 2nd overtime, again a result of great team effort. Even with all of the excitement of both goals, you had to feel a little bit for Markham as we had scored on them in the dying seconds of the LLFHL Championship at the end of March.
The Championship game of 2010 Atom BB Provincial Championship saw the Chaos playing the Carelton Place Cyclones again. After all of the qualifying games throughout the province and the elimination of 14 of the 16 teams this weekend, it was time to see who could win that prestigious Gold Medal of the 2010 Provincial Championship.
After a late start due to a broken door at the home bench that Blake or Dennis must have done earlier on against Markham with all the bad calls, the game started under horrible ice conditions. Both teams adjusted, and it was end to end action; a very exciting game for the fans. With 5:15 remaining in the 2nd period, Brynna found the back of the net assisted by Mayla and Alexa. That was the only goal scored the entire game and the Chaos hung on to the 1 - 0 win. Again, Tamara and Karissa made huge saves while the defence of Rylee, Rowan, Sheilagh, Larissa, Laura and Taylor made it hard for the Cyclones to gain the zone. The D also made very good decisions with and without the puck and did a great job of keeping it in the Cyclones end. The forward lines of Keaghan, Carley, Brooke, Jesse, Genny, Chiara, Alexa, Mayla and Brynna did a great job all around and worked harder than ever.
Congratulations girls, you are the first Chaos team to ever win a Provincial Gold Medal. With the LLFHL medal also, you have perhaps taken a place in Chaos and St. Catharines sports history. Coaches Dave, Dennis and Blake, manager Sue, trainer Barb and your families are extremely proud of you.
A big thank-you goes out to team Moms Dana and Haley, team fund-raisers Laura and Rob, and of course Captain Chaos. I don't think anyone will forget his antics and the loud, high-pitched phrase of "It's a simple, simple game !!! This team was one-in-a-million. Thank you to our sponsor, Thorold Auto Parts and Recycling.
To all of you parents out there, it was an incredibly fun year with tons of stories to be told from all our adventures. The hotel stays, tailgating, dancing, nicknames, and just hanging out at the arenas created memories and friendships that will last a lifetime. Keep this website in your favourites and check out the news articles and photo albums once in a while - it's bound to put a smile on your face. And who can forget Pablo's jokes and knuckle.
See you all around the arena.....