 …and come away being acknowledged as “Golden” for their great manners and team sportsmanship, on and of the ice!
Coming off a very successful December 2013, and a major tournament win at the Bauer International Challenge Cup, the 2001 Toronto Marlboros left for Port Huron on Thursday January 9th, with the high expectation of making a very successful showing!
The four hour journey led to the Hampton Inn in Port Huron, where the hotel management, at the end of the tournament, made a direct point of telling Coach Gialedakis that “the entire staff was in awe of just how well behaved the team was, how professionally they conducted themselves at all times, while on hotel premises, and how polite each player was.”
Once everyone had arrived, they had to go right into preparations for the first game. As you will see with the individual scores from each game, all the preparation leading up to this highly respected tournament paid off, as did the preparation that took place, right before the first game!
As an observation from several different sources, this team knows how to travel well! Each player gets along with his teammates, they know how to properly hydrate, they eat together, and in terms of food consumption, they make exceptionally good choices, which is so important for an elite athlete!
Also, one of the overriding benefits of being a member of this team became really obvious as the tournament progressed was just how well the parents get along! In the hotel lobby, there was a long table where all the parents gathered, talked, laughed, and really got to know each other. The rapport was high, the laughter was loud, and many left the tournament wondering if the parents had more fun than the players!
Toronto Marlboros 4 vs. Ottawa Valley Titans 0 From the first drop of the puck, the Marlboros came out like gangbusters! We moved the puck well; established a very powerful offensive presence, and proceeded to move the puck well throughout the game.
Toronto Marlboros 9 vs. Nickel City Sons 0 Team systems were “clicking” right from the beginning and everyone new that this would lead to a very successful result. All three lines were involved in the scoring and this was a well-balanced team effort.
Toronto Marlboros 3 vs. New Jersey Colonials 3 Two weeks prior, these two teams met up and the Marlboros won that game. This time the New Jersey Colonials scored a third goal, late in the game, for this game to result in a tie.
Toronto Marlboros 5 vs. Hamilton Bulldogs 1 This was a very even game through the first period. In the second period, the Marlboros scored 3 goals. The third period saw the Marlboros scoring another two goals, and also having to deal with a very physical aspect to the game, which they were more than prepared for.
Toronto Marlboros 1 vs. Chicago Mission 3 Sometimes the final score does not represent what happened on the ice. The Toronto Marlboros did almost everything right. They dominated play. Played the systems that they practiced, and moved the puck well. The final score is not indicative of the great effort put forth by the team in this game.
This was a wonderful tournament and a great team bonding experience. After the final game was played, the team met and had a sumptuous dinner, and after that, most of the players took the time to go swimming in the hotel pool, while the parents gathered around the long table in the foyer of the hotel to once again, share a tremendous amount of good feeling and laughter.
It is with great pride that each player on the Toronto Marlboros represents his team. This was very obvious on and off the ice! The Coaching staff, management, and parents were extremely proud of the manner in which these young gentlemen conducted themselves. Sometimes, several things other than the scoreboard can lead to a measure of complete success. This was definitely one of those times! This was a very successful tournament, on and off the ice, for players and parents, alike! | 
