The Oakville Hornets U13 A team brings home a championship trophy from the ninth annual GCGH Kinkin’ Ice in the Capitol tournament held in Ottawa, Ontario from December 8-10, 2023.
The girls, all born between 2011 and 2012, went 5-0 in the tournament with 32 goals over the two days.
The team faced two teams from the Ottawa Region, the Gloucester-Cumberland Stars and the Ottawa Lady 67s, and one team from the United States, the Caton Blades from upstate New York.
"It was a big bonding experience for the players," says Team Manager Steve Fessey.
"With tours of the capitol, team lunches, a scavenger hunt (run by assistant coach Nicole), a Sens (Ottawa Senators) game, mini sticks, movies on the bus and overall comradery, you can see the players have become more comfortable and confident with each other."
The team came off a high win two weeks before the Kinkin’ Ice tournament as they attended a unique experience a part of the Detroit Rivalry Cup.
The tournament is unique in that four Canadian teams would play against four American teams, and the total points for each country determine the winner, in short, you play for your country and going undefeated at 10-0 with 73 goals.
The Kinkin’ Ice tournament marked the fourth tournament of the year that the team has attended with the U13 A team currently ranking 2nd in the province on MyHockeyRankings.com.
"The team is coming together," says Coach Jeff Brown. "Every game you can see the progression of the players, continually developing and getting stronger as the season goes on."