On October 27, 2022, many families were excited to finally travel for a hockey tournament. This day saw the U12 Sabres family travel to South Bend, Indiana for the Irish Cup.
The first game was played on Friday the 28th against the Johnstown Jets. The game was played with high energy and excitement. We were able to win the game 5-1. That night saw the U12 group, team up with the LaSalle Sabres U13 group and catch a Notre Dame vs Michigan State college hockey game. The LaSalle Group entered the building with 107 members. What a great show. The hospitality was fantastic. We had our own band, made it on the jumbo tron, and got some good Irish luck from the leprechaun.
Saturday morning, at 7 am, proved to be a good test against a 2012 team from Metro City in Michigan. They were quick and aggressive and handled us with a 7-3 victory. In the afternoon, we played a classy team from Windsor. This rivalry has remained strong for years and we were able to put on a show for the Indiana fans as well. The squad dug deep and were able to prevail with a sweet 4-3 victory with 9 seconds to go in the game. The team understood that, victory loves hard work. We then broke bread with the U13 squad at the Uptown Kitchen and were greeted with open arms. The restaurant was open just for our group. We had in upwards of a 100 people attend. All attendees were respectful and represented to the LMHA with pride. What a fabulous night filled with food, fun and fellowship.
Sunday saw the group play a team from New York. The Power City Bruins. We played a relatively flawless game and were able to win 9-2. There was never a doubt that we would make it to the finals against the same Metro City team that beat us 7-3. We were hungry for that redemption.
Sunday afternoon, we played the final match at Compton Family Ice Centre. The home of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. We faced the Metro City Jets and you could feel the intensity right from the opening face off, to the final whistle. The team played with great patience, skill, and within our system. The parent group was full of energy and electric. The players fed off of that excitement and were able to contain the speedy Jets to mount a 6-1 victory. The team raced onto the ice to congratulate one another as the stadium roared with exuberance.
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE U12 LASALLE SABRES FOR WINNING THE IRISH CUP 2022!
