Minor Peewee AA Capture Bell Cup Title

The Gloucester Rangers Minor PeeWee AA team closed off 2007 with a perfectly fitting end: winning the championship of the Bell Capital Cup at Scotiabank Place against the Rochester Rattlers by a score of 7-2.
Dubbed by organizers as the "World's largest hockey tournament", the 2008 edition of the Bell Capital Cup listed 489 teams from eight countries, with over 250 round robin games played before determining a grand champion.
With a total of 28 teams entered in the Minor Peewee AA division, the Rangers entered the tournament as an unseeded team in Group A. Their very first opponents in the tournament were the #1 seeded team, Whitby Wildcats. Despite a great effort, the Rangers were defeated by a score of 1-0, with the ultimate winning goal being scored with less than three minutes left in regulation time. The Rangers quickly rebounded with a late afternoon win against the Chatham Maroons by a score of 3-2.
With a rest day in sight, the Rangers regrouped while attending a Senators game at Scotiabank Place on Saturday night. Keenly aware of the challenge lying ahead, Guy Bourque's team played no less than three games on December 30th. The Rangers' final round-robin game was against the Connecticut Lazers. In a much needed win, the Rangers' soundly defeated the Lazers by a score of 9-1. The sudden surge of offensive production was perhaps what the team needed most. It galvanized the players and provided much needed confidence and enthusiasm for the remainder of the day.
Once tournament officials determined that the Rangers' 2-1 record was amply sufficient for a wild card entry, the Rangers prepared for a re-match against the Whitby Wildcats in the tournament's quarter final round. The Rangers defeated the Wildcats by a score of 5-1 in front of a very appreciative and enthusiastic throng of supporters, including family and friends, at Minto Arena.
With two games played, and the skills competition completed under its collective belt in the same day, the Rangers had one last challenge to overcome to aspire to the championship game: winning against the Michigan-based Lakeland Hawks. With great forechecking, equally effective puck movement and pure determination, the Rangers steamrolled over the Hawks late Monday evening by a resounding 6-1 win to accede to the final game of the tournament at Scotiabank Place the very next morning.
With the natural pre-game jitters accompanying such an important game, the Rangers made sure the jitters would dissipate rapidly by pouncing on the Rattlers as soon as the puck was dropped. An early lead provided the Rangers with the needed confidence and momentum which continued to build as the game wore on. A tremendous team effort translated into a convincing 7-2 win to be crowned "Grand Champion of the 2008 Bell Capital Cup". Indeed a momentous occasion, from which to draw tremendous pride and confidence in order to complete the regular season. The championship marks the second tournament final win for the Rangers, having won the Kanata AAA Shootout last September and closes off the Rangers' tournament season in impressive style.

Submitted by André Champagne.