King Rebellion U13 AE saved the best for last

By Robert Belardi

The King Rebellion U13 AE team defeated the Orillia Terriers 6-2 two weekends ago, to capture the York Simcoe Minor Hockey Championship.
“Honestly, it rounds out a year, where we set expectations for the team and we really felt, that we played our best hockey at the end of the season,” said head coach John Fiacco.
“We can truly say, the boys saved the best for last. We ended on such a high note.”
In a year full of hardship due to COVID-19, Fiacco said the boys learned a lot about adversity. At times, players were in and out of the lineup due to restrictions and health measures. Practices and games were even cancelled. At one point for 20 days, the team was completely inactive.
On the ice, there were games the team felt they should have won and games they felt they should never have lost. But this never affected their confidence.
Entering this tournament, the boys won all of their games in tournament play. They even won the King Township Winter Classic in December.
Their mentality, built on the basis of teamwork by their coaches, is how the boys approached this tournament in particular. This was for all the marbles. The crown jewel of the hockey season. And it wasn't going to take one player to get them there. With their teamwork and dedication, that is how they'll get there.
Opening the tournament against the Bradford Bulldogs, things didn't go as planned. The boys were thumped 5-2 by the Bradford Bulldogs.
Looking to redeem themselves, the Rebellion did just that. The boys thumped the Markham Waxers 8-0.
Following a 6-3 win over the TNT tornadoes the Rebellion faced a small setback in their final round robin game. The boys fell 5-1 to the Newmarket Renegades.
Yet despite the final round robin loss, the coaching staff was confident moving forward.
“I was very confident going into the last couple of games. Because, I was feeding off the kids. As a coaching staff, we knew these kids were ready. They're ready to take the next step,” Fiacco said.
“You can just feel the energy that these kids were giving off. It's truly rewarding. Not just the success of winning a championship, but seeing leaders, start to develop within the dressing room. Personalities begin to evolve.”
In the semifinals, to boys got their sweet revenge against the Bradford Bulldogs, serving them up a 4-2 loss. In the finals, the group was too strong for the Orillia Terriers as the Rebellion went on to win the championship with a 6-2 finals victory.
Fiacco, assistant coaches Sandro Mignosa and Brian Robinson, trainer Steve Smith and team managers Rene Rojas and Tania Spaziani, would all like to thank the parents for their dedication and support. And of course, would love to thank the players, for an incredible season.
A special thank you goes out to goaltenders Gabriel Caputo and Henry Ross, to defenceman Patrick Filippo, Julian Gargano, Peter Lakkotrypis, Ethan Robinson, Colby Smith and Reid Young, and to forwards, Brady Flacco, Sebastian Iacobelli, Keon Mottaghi, Massimo Mignosa, Nic Montemarano, Julian Tomada, Mateo Rojas and Matteo Rossi, for their incredible play this season.
Congratulations everyone from the King Weekly Sentinel!