In less than 29 hours, this Tyke team played 5
games. Completely exhausted, these kids left everything they had on the ice.
At 6am Saturday morning, the Peterborough 47’s embarked down a road not yet travelled; they were headed to Brampton to play in their first Jamboree. With the strong season they had so far, they were matched up against the strongest teams in the greater Toronto area. Under normal circumstances this would be a challenge for any team, however with players being out due to illness and family commitments, the 47’s went in to this Jamboree down 4 skaters. This meant double shifting, playing new positions and finding chemistry with new line combinations.
Game 1 was against an undefeated Milton team. This team was ready for the 47’s. They got off to a quick start and handed this young team their first loss of the season. The players took it hard, however the coaching staff were quick to highlight the lessons learned from this – accountability, adversity, resilience, and the ability to move forward. It was highlighted how these kids can’t give up on each other, and more importantly, how they can’t give up on themselves.
These lessons stuck with the 47’s as they headed into their second game against Halton Hills. These kids came out with a renewed sense of passion and determination. This was a battle for the kids – not only against Halton Hills, but against themselves, to be able to bounce back after such a crushing first loss. The score was close at both ends of the ice, but in the end the 47’s found the back of the net a few more times.
After 88 minutes of hockey, a shortened bench, and having to double shift for 4 minutes at times, the team needed to dig deep as they went into their third game, challenging the home town Brampton team. The coaches shuffled the lines around to try to provide a spark and keep the team’s energy levels in overdrive; and what a spark that was. Both teams battled back and forth, big saves came from both the home team and the visiting 47's. Solid back checking, smart positional play coupled with the will to succeed for their fellow teammates, the 47’s were once again victorious.
Only 8 hours after their first game, the 47’s went into game 4, where they faced a hungry Caledon team. Not only was this team on top of their league, they had only played 2 games in the Jamboree so far and had a full squad. The 47’s knew going into this game that this was not going to be any regular challenge. The coaches and kids were gassed as they had left it all on the ice for the first 3 games. This was going to be a physical and mental battle against themselves; and they were going to see what they were really made 
of. This final game was more than anyone could have expected from these 7 year olds. They found a new will, shifted into a higher gear and they battled tooth and nail to make a competitive game against a bigger and more rested team. Caledon may have found the back of the net only a couple of more times than the 47’s in this battle, however the 47’s won the war – they maintained a high level of compete, they persevered through undeniable exhaustion, and they came together not only as a team, but as friends.
With such short turn around between games, these players bonded. There were mini stick battles in the dressing rooms, dance parties, and intense air guitar battles – with only minor injuries reported. Peterborough couldn’t have been better represented – they were the best dressed team there, had the best looking coaching staff, and played the strongest positional hockey of all the teams in the Jamboree. Their conditioning was apparent through all 4 games.
The exha
usted 47’s hit the pillows hard Saturday night, only to wake Sunday to face Pickering at home at the Evinrude Centre. No one would expect these kids to have anything left in the tank, however once again, they proved everyone wrong. The 47’s came onto the ice like they hadn’t played all weekend. They got knocked down and bounced back up, they battled hard, they communicated, and most importantly they had fun. To top it off, they were victorious. There was no better way to end the weekend for this Tyke team.
The coaches could not even try to pick the hardest working warrior of the Jamboree – with the strength and determination seen in all of these kids, they were all warriors.
The hardest working warrior of Sunday’s game was Ajay Anderson.
The entire weekend was not one that anyone expected; these kids played 4 hard fought battles on Saturday for over 175 minutes of intense hockey against new and tough opponents, then followed it up with another 66 minutes of hockey on Sunday, and they did it all shorthanded. Any rational person would have accepted fatigue and gave up; the task before them was almost unreasonable. Each of these players chose the road less traveled, and together, through adversity, challenges, defeats and of course their victories, they decided their own paths. In the end, the coaches, parents and bystanders got to witness the beginning of who these young players will become, as the life lessons they learned throughout the weekend developed a layer of character that will continue to be built upon for years to come.