Jan 17, 2023 | Ryan Folk | 426 views
Hurricanes Win 2023 Taylor Hall Invitational
In their first tournament of the New Year, our U11 Halton Hurricanes travelled to Kingston Ontario for the Taylor Hall Invitational Classic.
Beginning on a snowy Friday the 13th, the team put together a perfect record with 6 wins and left as champions after 3 days of great hockey.
Game 1 was a closely contested matchup with the Quinte Red Devils. Scoreless through the first period, Quinte jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the second. The Hurricanes found an extra gear by the final period to go on to a 3-2 win.
Just a few hours later, the team was back on the ice to face the Ottawa Sting on their way to a convincing victory. The Hurricanes had put 7 goals on the scoreboard through the first two periods and left the arena with an 8-2 win to wrap up a successful first day.
Saturday's schedule included two hotly anticipated rematches. First up were the Markham Waxers who had played the Hurricanes to a tie in the final exhibition game of the pre-season this year. This proved to be a back and forth battle with the teams tied at 1-1 and again at 3-3 before Halton would score a fourth and fifth goal for some important breathing room. With the Waxers adding a 4th goal of their own, Halton had to hold down the fort during a double penalty kill with the goalie pulled for 6 on 3 advantage in the final minutes of the third period to leave with the win!
In the afternoon matchup, the Hurricanes had redemption on their minds facing the London Junior Knights who eliminated them in overtime at the semi-finals of the Drew Doughty tournament earlier this season. With added motivation, Halton scored three times and kept the Knights off the board for a 3-0 shutout and a perfect 4-0 record to lead Pool B in round-robin play.
After their success on the ice, the team celebrated the birthdays of not one but two teammates with laser tag, pizza and a swim at the hotel before an early night to rest for the big games to come.
Sunday morning's semi-final saw a familiar foe as the Markham Waxers lined up across from Halton for a chance to play in the championship game. In another tight contest, the 'Canes took an early 1-0 lead. Markham jumped ahead with two straight goals but Halton would tie things at 2-2 early in the 3rd period. The Waxers scored another and with 6 minutes to go, the 'Canes tied it up again sending the game to overtime at 3-3. Only 2 minutes into the extra frame, Halton would get the game winner and move on to the finals with a hard fought 4-3 victory.
In their final match-up, Halton would face the Gloucester Rangers for the first time ever. The Rangers surprised the Hurricanes with an early goal before Halton would make it 1-1 in the second period. With just under six minutes remaining, the Hurricanes scored to take a 2-1 lead. After a late penalty, the team held off the Rangers during a penalty kill with the goalie pulled and a 6-on-4 advantage in an exciting end of the game to claim the trophy.
The Halton Hurricanes are the 2023 Taylor Hall Champions!
Final Scores:
3-2 win vs. Quinte Red Devils
8-2 win vs. Ottawa Sting
5-4 win vs. Markham Waxers
3-0 win vs. London Jr. Knights
4-3 win vs. Markham Waxers (Semi-final Game)
2-1 win vs. Gloucester Rangers (Championship Game)