11 Years In The Making.
During our first few days as coaches for the Bantam AE team this
year we took some time to speak one on one with each player to ask them about
their hockey goals. To a player they all wanted the same thing…
To better understand this team you must realize where they
have been as individuals. After our conversations we realized that NONE of the
17 players on the roster had ever won a hockey tournament or been on a
championship team. A goal had been set...
Cleveland Tournament:
We had been on a 4 game winning streak heading into the tournament so our confidence was high…maybe too high as we dropped the first game of the tourney.
We decided in true team spirit to head out as a group for dinner. Wasabi Japanese Steakhouse in Cleveland was our choice and we had a blast. Tons of laughs, too much food and too much sake.
Saturday brought two tough games and the Sabres responded with two huge wins to punch their ticket to the finals on Sunday morning.
Looking for some fun the Sabres and families headed to the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball game Saturday night. The players and families seemed pleased with the game until the surprise was revealed. I was lucky enough to meet Scott MacDonald of the Cav’s organization and he agreed to invite our Sabre players out onto the stadium floor and create a welcome tunnel of high fives for the Cavalier players as they came onto the court. They were beyond pumped!
After giving Lebron James and the rest of the Cav’s high fives the boys were taken on a private tour of the Cavalier front offices where they were allowed access to the Cav’s “Larry O’Brien” NBA Championship trophy.
I would like to personally thank Scott of the Cleveland Cavaliers for making these memories possible for our players. Scott’s message to our boys was simple. He told them to not take nights like this for granted, and they sure didn’t.
The FINALS:
Once in the finals the Sabres forged ahead to a 3-1 lead in the 3rd period only to stumble and eventually be forced into OT. Then 11years in the making, the moment arrived. The Sabres buried the winner and the drought was over.
If I’m being honest I have to tell you it was a very emotional moment or our boys, parents and coaches.
As I told the boys in our post game chat. Enjoy the moment, be young, be excited, this is your time.
A very Proud Coach
Todd Brancaccio
