Representing their city and country, the
Canadian Tire STSCO Atom AE Peterborough Petes brought home gold and helped
secure a win for Canada at the Nations Cup tournament in Detroit.
Held Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, the Nations Cup tournament pitted Canada against the United States in a hockey showdown. The Atom AE Petes, proudly wearing their red and white team Canada jerseys, played in the Bronze division, winning three games and tying one to finish second in their pool heading into the finals.
With their adrenaline pumping ahead of the first game, the boys faced off against Dayton Stealth, claiming a 6-1 victory. Singing a pre-game chant: “Let’s go Canada, let’s go!” the Petes dominated the second encounter of the day, against the Columbus Chill, easily winning 8-1.
A tougher fight was on deck for Saturday. With a later start on day two, the Petes managed another win against Columbus Capitals, 5-1.
Aiming for a four game sweep, the Petes had to dig deep in their battle against the Cincinnati Swords who had already tied the Oshawa Generals “A” team. Facing a tough back and forth game throughout, the Petes inched ahead 3-2. With minutes left on the scoreboard the hometown refs put two Petes in the box. The Swords then pulled their goalie, forcing the Petes into a minute-long six-on-three penalty kill. With many nail-biting moments the Petes grindingly fought off the Swords.
As one Pete exited the penalty box, the boys continued to penalty kill with six-on-four. Then, with just seconds left, Petes goaltender Alex Duley made a save and covered the puck. With no whistle, the Swords continued to dig the puck from under his glove and into the net to tie the game.
But the Petes would have another shot at the Swords – and redemption. With both teams finishing second seed in their pool, the Petes and Swords would face off on Sunday in a final battle for their teams and their countries.
With two quick goals out of the gate, the Petes were off to a flying start. But the Swords came back scoring three straight. The Petes tied it up at 3 but the Swords went ahead once more. Knowing the clock was ticking, the Petes buckled down, grinding hard to tie it up. With their fellow Canadian teammates – the Oshawa Generals A and AE teams – in the stands cheering them on, the Petes found their groove and knocked in two more to take the game 6-4 in an exciting finish to a great weekend of hockey.
With the Petes clinching victory and the Waterloo Wolves MD team finishing with a tie in the 1st seed game, it ensured a win for Team Canada in the Nations Cup Atom Bronze Division.
A special thank you to Canadian Tire on Chemong Road for the donation of toques, ties, skate laces, rally sticks and temporary tattoos to ensure the Petes and their fans were decked out in their best red and white for the tournament!