The local Brockie.org 99ers Atom ‘AA’ hockey team, along with head coach Keith Knapp and assistance coaches Brian Spicer and Brad Gushulak, returned home Sunday from Des Moines, Iowa with a fourth-place finish in the “Blizzard Blast” Squirt hockey tournament.
The 99ers got off to a slow start Saturday morning as they managed a 3-3 tie game against the Russell Stover Stars from Kansas City, then were upset 5-2 by the Stillwater Ponies.
But the team managed to put the fire under their blades on Sunday with a 4-0 shutout over the Des Moines Jr. Buccaneers—keeping alive hopes of possibly advancing to the championship game.
Round-robin play ended with the Omaha Mavericks in first place, the Stillwater Ponies in second, the Des Moines Jr. ‘AA’ Buccaneers in third, and our local 99ers in fourth place.
The 99ers managed to hold on to the fourth-place finish after they defeated the Kansas City Jr. Outlaws 4-1 in the fourth/fifth-place playoff game.
The Stillwater Ponies went on to defeat the Des Moines Jr. ‘AA’ Buccaneers in the second/third-place playoff game and then defeated the Omaha Mavericks for the tourney championship.
Although the 99ers returned home with a fourth-place finish, their only loss was against the team that went on to win the tournament.
Thanks to Dave Allison and the Iowa Stars hockey team, our boys returned home with many memories and an experience they will never forget.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
