The Huntsville Atom Rep Otters took home the silver medal at
the Prince Edward County Milk Tournament over the weekend after a narrow defeat
at the hands of the hometown Kings in the championship game.
In their first game of round robin action, the talented young
team squared off against the Brockville Braves.
The Otters dominated play at both ends of the ice, and at the end of
three periods, the Otters had earned their first victory of the tournament with
a convincing 9-4 win.
The Otters second game was an early morning tilt against the host team, PEC Kings. The evenly matched teams battled hard throughout the first two frames but at the start of the third period, the Kings led by a score of 2-0. The Otters eventually clawed their way back into the game, but an empty net goal and another late tally from the Kings, put the game out of reach for the Otters.
At the end of round robin play, the Otters had landed in 4th place and were forced into an elimination game against the Clarington Toros later that day.
The Otters got off to a strong start against the Clarington squad and held a 3-0 advantage heading into the third period. But a late game surge from the Toros saw the game tied at three with only minutes left to play. The see-saw battle continued as the seconds ticked down, and when the buzzer sounded, it was the Otters who were victorious, claiming a hard-fought 5-4 win.
In semi-final action, the Huntsville team faced the Lindsay Muskies in another early morning duel. The Otters came out on fire and punished the Muskies to the tune of 7-0, setting the stage for a re-match between the Otters and the Kings for the tournament championship.
The Otters were tired after a long weekend of hockey, but their true grit and stubborn determination continued to shine as the team took a hard earned 1-0 lead into the third period of the final game. The Kings however, weren’t about to let gold slip from their hands, and with only 5:32 left in the game, they tied the score at one apiece.
The two teams would eventually need an extra period and a shootout to decide a winner and unfortunately for the Otters, the home team claimed the top prize.
The Atom Otters represented Huntsville very well and made all of the parents and coaching staff very proud. Congratulations Otters on your well-deserved silver medals!