The Madison Excavating QRD U11s had a fabulous weekend of solid team play, as they travelled to Oakville and competed in their final tournament of the 2022-2023 season. The QRD U11s finished with a 2-0-1 record after round robin play. The boys worked hard to make it to semifinals, but they were unfortunately defeated by the Niagara North Stars. The game was extremely close; the Devils displayed grit, resilience, and determination. They should be incredibly proud of making it to the final four.
Friday, March 24th: Game 1
The Madison Excavating QRD U11s started the weekend off with a tie against the Barrie Jr. Colts - the eventual OMHA champions, for the second year in a row. QRD opened up the scoring in the first period, when Kade Osterhout found the back of the net. The score remained 1-0 through two periods of play. Both teams battled hard and there were countless shots on both nets. Early in the third period, Barrie tied the game at one, and despite efforts from both teams, the game ended in a 1-1 tie. Hayden Tripp worked hard to defend Quinte’s net. Player of the Game went to Robbie Robinson for his solid contributions and strategic play.
Friday, March 24th: Game 2
Early Friday evening, QRD would take on the Burlington Eagles. Regardless of having already played an intense game that morning, QRD was ready to bring their best. QRD got off to an early lead, with a goal from Everett Brown, six minutes and twenty-seven seconds into the first. Kade Osterhout would follow that goal up with one of his own, three minutes later. Going into the second period, QRD was already up by two, and they would continue to dominate. Under two minutes into the second, Osterhout lit the lamp for a second time. With eight minutes and fifty-six seconds left in the period, Blake Milne scored the game-winning goal. QRD began period three with a four-goal lead. Just over a minute in, Hewett Tejnor extended the lead to five, followed up by another from Blake Sills, just over a minute later. QRD was on a streak, scoring six unanswered goals. Brown made it 7-0 before the Eagles got their first goal, on the power play. Osterhout responded two minutes later, when he scored his third goal of the game. With two minutes and seven seconds left to go, the Eagles briefly rallied, scoring two more powerplay goals in quick succession. QRD, however, took the win 8-3 win, after an exciting, action-packed game. Between the pipes, Hayden Tripp helped to secure the win, and was awarded Player of the Game for his efforts.
Saturday, March 25th: Game 3
Late Saturday afternoon, QRD would go head-to-head with the Halton Hurricanes. It was about six and a half minutes into the first, when Everett Brown opened up the scoring with the first goal of the game. Half a minute into the next frame, Kade Whelan found the back of the net, bringing QRD’s lead to two. Cooper Plumley extended the lead to 3-0, with the eventual game-winner, prior to the end of the second period. The Hurricanes tried to even things out in the third period, scoring their only two goals of the game within the first three minutes. The comeback was short-lived, as Dylan Chalk scored twice after that, bringing the final score to 5-2 for the Devils. Goaltender, Hayden Tripp, made some timely saves and worked hard to keep the Devils on top. Player of the Game went to Dylan Chalk for his outstanding team play and effort.
With two wins and one tie, the
Madison Excavating QRD U11s had officially qualified for the semifinal game as the number one seed in group one.
Sunday, March 26th: Semifinal Game
On Sunday morning, the QRD crew would face the Niagara North Stars, in a battle for one of two spots in the final game of the OMHA tournament. The Devils gave the game their all; they worked amazingly well as a team, and they came very close to a win. The North Stars got out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period, when they capitalized on a couple of lucky bounces. QRD battled back in the second, as Everett Brown scored, twenty-five seconds in, cutting Niagara’s lead in half. The score would remain at 2-1 for Niagara, going into the third. Under three minutes in, Niagara would score their third goal of the game. QRD’s Kade Whelan responded to the goal with one of his own, fifty-three seconds later. With just over eleven minutes left until the final buzzer, QRD battled hard, however, they were not able to capitalize on their chances. The final score was 3-2 for the Niagara North Stars, who gave QRD their only loss of the weekend. In net, Hayden Tripp earned Player of the Game for keeping the score close.
In spite of not moving on to the OMHA final game, QRD played exceptionally well, and should be extremely proud of being one of four teams to play on Sunday. Over the course of the OMHA tournament, QRD netted seventeen goals by eight different players, and only allowed eight goals against. Moreover, the team went further in the OMHAs than they did last season, proving that they have had a truly successful year, filled with a remarkable development of their skills and strategies. Special thanks to Ryder Hayes for supporting the team this weekend, while goalie, Ben Larmer, was recovering from a concussion. Excellent job, everyone!
Coach’s Corner with Head Coach Andrew Brown:
“Our journey comes to an end after such a great season. The kids practiced hard, played hard, and had such a fun season. Thanks very much to our families for their commitment. Thanks very much to our sponsors. And finally, thanks very much to the kids: you are great hockey players, and more importantly, great people.”