Toronto Marlboros Tournament On The Horizon

The stretch run to the Michigan U-16 State Playoffs begins in January.

But first, our sixteen 92's will venture back to Toronto for the third time this season to play a major showcase tournament.

The first two trips to Toronto have yielded terrific results in the two biggest tournaments in Ontario with appearances in the Joe Maire Semi-Final Game and the International Silver Sticks Championship Game.

With 7 days off from all skating (no practices or games) and over two weeks away from game competition our players should be very well rested, albeit a bit rusty.

We are looking for another long tournament run in Toronto in the Marlboros Tournament to be our catalyst for a strong stretch drive towards the Michigan State Playoffs.

OHL Cup Rankings Week 6 Announced

Minor Midget Rankings for the OHL Cup Showcase Tournament - Week 6
(last week's ranking in brackets)

1. Elgin-Middlesex - MHAO (1)
2. Toronto Marlies - GTHL (2)
3. Toronto Jr Canadiens - GTHL (3)
4. Compuware U16 - MWEHL-USA (5)
5. Detroit Belle Tire U16 - MWEHL-USA (4)
6. York-Simcoe Express - OMHA (6)
7. Toronto Red Wings - GTHL (7)
8. Detroit Honeybaked U16 - MWEHL- USA (NR)
9. Ottawa Senators - ODMHA (10)
10. Halton Hurricanes - OMHA (NR)

Honourable Mention

Barrie Colts - OMHA
Toronto Young Nats - GTHL (8)
Peterborough Petes - OMHA (9)

First Half Of Season Ends; Accomplishments Noted

Sunday's 3-0 loss to Compuware was a disappointing end to the first half of a very good season. Team accomplishments to date include:

* Semi-finals appearances in both the Joe Maire Tournament and Border City Cup.

* Finals appearance at the International Silver Sticks Tournament in Whitby.

* Undefeated record (4-0) at the Nike Bauer Tournament.

* Undefeated record (5-0) against GTHL opponents

* 4-2 victory over the Toronto Junior Canadiens in the International Silver Sticks Tournament Semi-finals.

* Wins over highly regarded teams across North America - Texas Attack, Chicago Mission, Toronto Young Nats, Rochester Alliance, Toronto Red Wings, Halton Hurricanes, and York Simcoe Express.

* Ranking as high as #4 for the OHL Cup Showcase (currently #5).

Spiral Sliced

Honeybaked's three game losing spiral was sliced Thursday Night with a 6-2 win over our Belle Tire team.

Honeybaked took advantage of their speed and execution in transition, and our numerous defensive breakdowns, to generate a slew of odd-man rushes.

Fatigue, both mental and physical in nature, appears to have set into our team. But we need to be tough enough to overcome it and finish the first half of our season with a strong performance against Compuware on Sunday.

Following the Compuware game a one-week break from practices and games appears just what the doctor ordered to recharge our batteries.

Two Big Games In Four Days

Make no mistake about it....the two big games with Honeybaked and Compuware over the next four days are not of the make or break variety.

Nothing is really at stake except for pride; and nothing will actually be decided until the state playoffs.

Still, these games have significant importance to our team as a measuring stick to see how we stack up against two of the country's best teams.

These two games will reveal whether at this point in the season our team is a true contender....or merely a pretender.

Compuware ranks as the nations best team on every mathematical based national ranking site and Honeybaked is right behind them in either the number two or three slot.

Our season record against these two teams thus far is 0-2-1 with a 1-1 tie against Honeybaked in a late August exhibition game and a 3-1 loss in MWEHL league play; along with a 3-0 loss to Compuware in the Joe Maire tournament in early September.

Little Caesars Games Moved To February

Both MWEHL league games against Little Caesars that were to be played this month have been moved to February due to scheduling conflicts.

Updated schedule of all games appears along the right side of this weblog.

OHL Cup Rankings Week 5; Team Keeps 4th Spot Despite Loss

Despite losing to Victory Honda on Sunday, Belle Tire retained the #4 ranking in the latest OHL Cup Showcase Tournament Rankings.

Needless to say, we need to perform at a level in our upcoming games against Honeybaked (tomorrow) and Compuware (Sunday) that will substantiate how high we are ranked.

Minor Midget Rankings for the OHL Cup Showcase Tournament - Week 5 (last week's ranking in brackets)

1. Elgin-Middlesex - MHAO (1)
2. Toronto Marlies - GTHL (2)
3. Toronto Jr Canadiens - GTHL (3)
4. Detroit Belle Tire U16 - MWEHL-USA (4)
5. Compuware U16 - MWEHL-USA (5)
6. York-Simcoe Express - OMHA (6)
7. Toronto Red Wings - GTHL (7)
8. Toronto Young Nats - GTHL (8)
9. Peterborough Petes - OMHA (9)
10. Ottawa Senators - ODMHA (10)

Honourable Mention

Detroit Honeybaked U16 - MWEHL- USA
Halton Hurricanes - OMHA
Rochester Alliance - USA