The Shot Heard 'round the Stadium!

We were in Edmonton last weekend for Joel's final hockey tournament of the season.

On Friday morning, Joel's team, Shaw Meadows Ironheads, won their first game 3-1 against an equally matched team from Edmonton.

On Saturday morning, the Ironheads won their second game 3-1 against another equally matched team from Edmonton. In fact, this one went down to the wire with the score being 2-1 Ironheads with 2 minutes left. The other team pulled their goalie and we got an empty netter. (We would meet this team in the final!)

Following this game was a skills competition and then the kids went to West Edmonton Mall for the afternoon.

In the evening, the Ironheads played another Calgary team. There wasn't a heck of a lot of gas left in the tank. Despite this team not having won a game to that point and we not having lost a game to that point - we lost 4-2. Good for those guys. As a parent it stinks to watch your kids work so hard yet come out on the winless end of a tournament - NOT THAT I CAN RELATE, BOOYA!!

Sunday morning, the Ironheads played the Edmonton team from Saturday morning. Both teams had 2 wins & 1 lose. It was a well fought game. Tied at 1 all for the first 2 1/2 periods when the other team scored with 4 minutes left in the third period. With 29 seconds left in the third one of our guys (an unlikely hero who stayed up until 1:30 a.m. that morning) took a one time slap shot from 6 feet out and beat their goalie tying the game. No overtime. Straight to a 4 man shoot out.

First shooters for each team didn't score.
Second shooters for each team scored 1-1.
Third shooters for each team scored 2-2.
Fourth shooters for each team didn't score....
We go through 4 more shooters from each team without scoring.
Shooter #9 from Edmonton - saved by our goalie.

I look at the bench and see Joel with his stick up motioning to the coach to put him in. The coach does!

Shooter #9 from our team is Joel. I yell out "shoot it hard Joel!" He gets the whistle and makes his way down the ice toward the goalie. Back and forth, back and forth he stick handles the puck until reaching the hash marks. He keeps skating as he spots the opening between the goalies legs. He shoots hard...the puck goes five hole & hits the back of the net! The ref points to the back of the net! Joel's arms and stick goes into the air as his teammates pour off the bench and mob him! His coach makes his way to the center of little bodies where he picks Joel up and carries him on his shoulders back to the gathering crowd around our other hero, our goalie!

What a great game! I'm biased but seriously one of the best games and best finishes I've witnessed in any hockey game, even professional.

Hip Hip Hooray Ironheads!