The Gary Edgecombe CA Peewee Rep
Coyotes have played three recent games, resulting in one win and two
losses. They defeated the Shelburne Wolves 5-2 at home with heroic
goaltending from William McDowell and two determined goals from Jacob
Bouzis. They lost a hard-fought game to third-place Georgian Shores,
and a shot-filled game to Stayner at home. They have five games left
in the regular season to establish a good placement going into
playoffs.
What is clear to any reader is that I am talking hockey. What is not clear to readers without a history in hockey, is that I am talking about 11 and 12 year old children. These are grade six and seven students who love to play the game with friends. They willingly come together every Monday at 6 am to practice, and text each other when last-minute ice time comes available. They also love to play NHL 12, go to Barrie Colts games, and wish they could watch their favourite NHL teams on TV.
So what should a less than 500 team record mean to a player? The Ontario Minor Hockey Association, the OMHA, is very clear in their values that this thing we call hockey is much more than wins and losses. It is about positive learning experiences, playing fair and losing graciously, the golden rule, caring for teammates and opponents equally, being loyal to your team, working together, performing to the best of your ability, and most importantly, having fun.
Last week, Coach Paul asked my son Ben how he felt the season was going and Ben was not sure what to say. He thought the answer adults wanted to hear was that the team wasn't winning, but what Paul really wanted to know was whether or not he was having fun. He was, as were all of his teammates. With the assurance of their coaches that hockey was indeed about having fun, the team went out and worked hard. They didn't win, but had fun. A friend and coach, Mark Dunford, told me once that we should own our wins and losses for an hour, then let them go. Dwelling on either will do us no good.
This Friday, the boys play host to the Wasaga Stars at 8:10. The Coyotes are hungry and ready. Come on out and have some fun of your own supporting the boys.