Sun, surf and slapshots for the King Rebellion bantam A champs

December 6, 2017 · 0 Comments

King Rebellion Bantam A team returned victorious from a Florida Panthers Tournament in the U.S.

By Matt Harbridge

Holy mackinaw!
It was sun, surf and slap-shots as the King Rebellion Bantam “A” team voyaged to Fort Lauderdale for a long weekend of hard-hitting hockey action in the Florida Panthers Thanksgiving Tournament.
Players, parents, coaches and fans from King’s bantam A team enjoyed the tournament of a lifetime, playing international teams from both the U.S. and Europe. The bantam “A” Rebels represented King Township and Canada with style, advancing through the tournament undefeated, including a thrilling 6-2 semi-final win against the Slovakia Stars, and a gritty 6-1 championship victory against hometown favourites, the Florida Panthers Bantam Gold team.
In between games, the players enjoy the beach, surfed the waves, boogie boarded their hearts out – strengthening friendships, working on their tans, and bonding as a team.
The U.S. and European teams had trouble keeping up with the speed of our Rebellion Bantams, dazzled by the quick footwork of King’s Captain Anthony Macedo. Powerful shots from King defencemen Liam Rider and assistant captain Derek Evangelista peppered opposing goaltenders and left them shell-shocked. Several opposing teams were thrown off their game by the Rebellion’s physical style of play, with pounding hits being delivered by Chris Petrungaro, Robbie Forletta and Vince Marra.
King’s lines displayed skillful passing and puck control throughout the tournament, that helped the Rebels dominate play in several periods. Aggressive high speed rushes from assistant captain Ryan Dimitroff and veteran forward Scott McCann, kept U.S. defenders on their toes.
The silky mitts of Francesco Filicetti repeatedly dangled the Slovaks out of their skates, while the versatile two-way style of Nick Gesualdo, playing both forward and defence, made him a highly dependable player in every game situation.
Team stalwarts Zach Romeo and Sam Degli Angeli created a defensive tsunami on the blue line that swamped attacking forwards. Tenacious stick handling from bulldog Cam Robinson and some well delivered wrist shots from Matt Harbridge helped contribute to a number of scoring opportunities throughout the tournament.
The team’s “double threat” goalies ultimately stole the show, with Matthew Maniatis and Brian Cook letting in only 5 goals over the course of 6 games. International teams hoping to put a puck in the King net had their scoring passports repeatedly rejected by the Canadian goaltending border patrol.
The King Rebellion Bantam “A” boys would like to thank their dedicated coaching staff, including head coach Dan Dimitroff, and assistants Joe Petrungaro, Danny Macedo, and Jay Rider for all they did to support this team throughout, which included tolerating the tropical stench of sweaty hockey bags. Visiting minor bantam coach Gerald McCann kept the boys company while in the penalty box. Assistant coach Dennis Evangelista unfortunately had to stay home.
A special thanks to Bantam “A” team manager Lucia Macedo for flawlessly organizing the logistics of this amazing trip, and to the Forletta family for hosting a team dinner in Florida that brought the Rebellion families closer together. Undisclosed sources deep within the Rebellion organization suggest more sun and surf hockey tournaments could be in the team’s future. Stay tuned sports fans.