The Atom Marlboros did it again! For the second straight tournament, this hard working group of players came out victorious, this time at the prestigious Sarnia International Silver Stick Finals. The team won all five of their games with a combined 21 goals for and just 5 against.

The quest for the Silver Stick began with a 4 to 1 victory over the South Central Coyotes. Next, the team faced Belle Tire, who were ranked 8th in the United States. The Marlboros, perhaps inspired by the strong reputation of their opponents, showed a terrific work ethic, winning by an 8 to 1 score. Next came the Whitby Wildcats. The Marlboros had faced them in earlier tournaments, tying one game and winning the other. The play was very tight, with the Whitby goalie turning aside many shots. In the end, however, the Marlboros were victorious with a 2 to 1 score.

In the semi-finals, the Marlboros faced a talented Vaughan Kings squad. Vaughan had tied the Marlboros in their last league game, so all knew that it would be a tight, hard fought affair. True to expectations, the game was scoreless after one period. Vaughan struck in the second, taking a one to nothing lead into the third. After end-to-end play for much of the period, the Marlboros were finally able to slip one by the Kings goalie, forcing an overtime period. The overtime was played three-on-three. Following their coach’s instructions closely, the Marlboros players combined to score the winning goal just 40 seconds into OT. The stage was set for the final.

The Marlboros now had to face the Markham Waxers. These teams had met twice before in an earlier tournament, with the Waxers taking both games. The first period was hard fought, with the Marlboros getting the best of it by scoring the period’s only goal. The Waxers evened things up early in the second on a scramble in front of the net. This seemed to spark the Marlboros, who played a dominate game from then on. The remainder of the game was highlighted by the Marlboros fighting off a five on three, and scoring a shorthanded goal. In total, the Marlboros scored four unanswered goals to take the win 5 to 1. The game was tremendous to watch, as each Marlboro player contributed in their own way to the win. This is truly a TEAM.