MHTS VISITS ROBERT ESCHE TRAVEL HOCKEY TOURNEY IN WHITESTOWN
Whitestown teammates celebrate !
Jeff Pexton-MHTS-PGI
The Annual Whitestown Youth Hockey / Rob Esche Travel Hockey Tournament wrapped up on Sunday afternoon, with two Syracuse area teams taking home titles.
The Syracuse Blazers knocked off the Canandaigua Knights by a score of 3-1 to claim the Squirt Division Championship.
The Onondaga Thunder then defeated the Clinton Comets by a score of 2-1 to take the Pee Wee Division.
When the dust settled on Sunday afternoon, six Pee Wee (ages 11-12) teams and four Squirt (ages 9-10) teams duked it out for three straight days at the Esche Tournament.
Onondaga Thunder-Pee Wee Division Champs!
This great tournament is a staple on the youth hockey circuit calendar and is named for local youth hockey supporter and Whitesboro native Robert Esche, a former NHL goalie now playing professional hockey with the SCL Tigers of the Swiss National League.
Teams from Whitestown, Syracuse, Canandaigua and Rome battled it out in the Squirt division, which got underway Thursday night. Whitestown topped the Grizzlies of Rome in the consolation game of the Squirt division.
The Onondaga Thunder, Clifton Park Eagles, Rome Grizzlies, Whitestown Wolfpack, Saratoga Blue Knights and Clinton Comets were the Pee Wee contestants.
Saratoga and Whitestown played for third place on Sunday morning, with Saratoga coming out on top.
A total of twenty two games were played over the course of four days and nights at the Whitestown Community Center.
Hats off to WYHA Tournament Director Lisa Emery and her team of volunteers for putting on an excellent event again this season.
The Syracuse Blazers will return to Whitestown in just a couple of weeks for the New York State Tier II Central Section Squirt Playoff Tournament, along with the New Hartford Spartans, Lysander Lightning, Whitestown Wolfpack, Camillus Wildcats and several other teams who have qualified.
The winner of that tournament will advance to the New York State Tournament in Niagara Falls.
Onondaga’s victory in the final came on the wings of forward Ben McCreary, a smooth skating center who was extremely difficult to defend all weekend long.
Syracuse Blazers 2012 Squirt Division Champs!
Thunder goaltender Peyton Bowler would surely have made Robert Esche proud of his performance this weekend as well, as the young number 30 was outstanding in goal for his team, going (4-1) this weekend.
Congratulations to all participants and good luck for the remainder of your season!
A Rome Grizzlie heads up ice.
Let her rip!
Protecting the pipes!
Wolpack represents!
Ready for action!
