Following the unforgettable experience at the Canadian Tire
Centre, the Novice AA Under Armour Petes were set to take the ice in the Capital
Fall Classic, which started Friday, November 8. The team entered the Tier 1
division – which is equivalent to AAA teams in the Peterborough area. The
coaches knew that this would be a challenge for these young players, as they
would be facing bigger, stronger and more highly skilled teams. This weekend set
the stage for the players to face possible adversity and disappointment, but
through this would allow them to show their determination and resiliency. It
was going to be a busy weekend, with 2 games Friday, preliminary skills
competition and another game Saturday, and the championship skills competition
Sunday.
They couldn’t hide their excitement Friday while
waiting to take the ice against 
these unfamiliar teams. From the first face off, of the first game, everyone could see that the Petes were going to have to dig deep and battle hard. And they did just that. They gave it their all and left everything they had on the ice. They were more aggressive, and pushed themselves to the limit. The players really bonded over the 3 games, as they had each other’s backs, were cheering each other on, and reassuring each other when they felt they had let their team mates down. There was some disappointment after the 3 games were done, and although official scores weren’t kept, the team had lost more games than they had won. Regardless, the coaches couldn’t have been more proud of the effort, determination, and passion the Petes had shown during those 3 games.
The other part of the weekend, was the skills competition. This 
was no ordinary skills competition though, as this one focussed on the team as a whole, rather than individual players. There were a lot of nerves going into the preliminary round Saturday, and after all of the events were complete, the Petes had placed 4th, which put them in the Silver Skills Championship on Sunday. Nerves ran
even higher for the championship. The players were focussed though. During every event, the Petes were the loudest of all of the teams on the ice. They could be heard throughout the rink cheering each other on, and seen jumping up and down with excitement on the bench. Upon completion of the events, the winner was announced and it was the Petes. It was the perfect way to cap off such an exciting, and exhausting weekend.
The Petes have now returned home, with their Silver Medals, and are back in action this Saturday in Belleville.
1, 2, 3…..Petes!!!
