September is always a highly anticipated month for any hockey team, especially the 2001, Toronto Marlboros! With summer training becoming a distant memory, new roster additions, seasoned, 13 year old “veterans” returning, and the stability of the same Coaching staff; optimism and expectations were running high, right from the start!

Looking back over the month of September, the 2001 Toronto Marlboros played a total of 16 games. Those 16 games resulted in 11 wins, 4 losses, and one tie! The point totals never really tell the entire story, and had you been at all of those 16 games, you would have seen a team that was producing on every shift, with a real “SNAP” to every facet of their game!

Immediately following our two week training camp, the team entered into the Toronto Red Wings “AAA” Tournament. The pinnacle of the tournament came against a team that the Marlboros have faced several times before, without ever having amassed the essential 2 points, to qualify as a win!

Chicago Mission has an excellent hockey development program and they always come with an expectation of winning! 4-1 was the final score. Domination on the ice was truly present. This time, the outcome would be very different! For the first time in many international hockey tournaments, the Toronto Marlboros bested Chicago Mission, and emerged victorious!

Everyone on the team and associated with the team, always looks forward to each game, but the highlight of this past September, was the trip South, into the United States of America, to face-off against some of the very best 2001 hockey teams on the planet!

The trip to Stamford Connecticut, saw the team playing a number of very successful games! We will speak directly to the wonderful experience that the team enjoyed, in the next article.

Stay Tuned!