Bantam As win gold in epic comeback

By Christine Sant-Degli Angeli

Congratulations to the King Rebellion bantam A team, who skated away with a gold medal this past weekend at the 2019 Richmond Hill Mary Parkinson Memorial A Early Bird Tournament. The team kicked off their season with a bang by going undefeated through six games, leading them to a championship victory in a heart-stopping match against a top-10 Ontario team, the Quinte West Hawks.
The bantam division included three pools made up of 13 teams from across the OMHA region. The Rebellion had their first win (3-1) Friday morning against the Whitby Wildcats. The team's second game was a close match (1-0) against Georgina Blaze. Saturday morning the King Rebellion continued on their winning streak (7-2) over North Durham Warriors.
Despite some injuries during the very physical fourth round-robin game against the Burlington Junior Cougars, the team came out with another win (5-2). These achievements landed the team a first place finish in their division and a first place overall ranking.
An early Sunday morning semi-final game against the Whitby Wildcats was quickly scheduled and the Rebellion managed to earn themselves another win (3-2) and a first seed ticket to the championship game.
The anticipation for the 3 p.m. gold medal game was filled with both excitement and nerves. With two undefeated giants were about to meet in the finals, the King Rebellion and the Quinte West Hawks, it was destined to be a spectacular game and one to remember!
Quinte jumped out of the gate with purpose, and swiftly earned themselves a massive 4-0 lead by the end of the first period. The Rebellion appeared flat, caught off guard, and disorganized, but they utilized their first intermission break to refuel, refocus, and re-energize.
During the second period, we witnessed the resiliency and heart of the Rebellion as they clawed their way back, shift by shift and goal by goal, to eventually skate their way to a 6-4 victory. It was an amazing feat to see this team of determined hockey players pull off one of the most exciting come backs in minor hockey history, at one of the most crucial big stage moments in true heroic fashion.
The dedication to their coaches and each other is a testament to their hard work and friendship.