| Bantam 2002 | Taos Bantam 2001 | ||
Click on any picture to the left to display it here.
Fort Collins has one of the best organized tournaments every year, and the "Blades of Steel" this year was no exception. The games run on times, three referees show up for every game, and they have great facilities. They also do the "little things" well, such as giving out a medal for "defenseman of the game" for every game (winners and losers), as well as hat trick hats, playmaker awards, shut out pucks, etc.
This year they had over 20 teams at the Squirt age bracket, which were divided into four divisions based on ability (not always just the traditional A, B, C, but based on results for the year). This created some interesting matchups, such as a strong "B" team playing A teams, etc. It was nice to see some creativity in this area.
About the only problem with the tournament was the 5:00am games. We were lucky enough to avoid any of these, but we would sure like to see all touraments adopt a policy of "no games before 7:00 am". It is hard enough to keep all the parents enthused about hockey without subjecting them to a 3:30 am wake up call. It seems these days that too many tournaments are trying to maximize the revenue, and therefore maximize the number of teams. To squeeze in all the teams we have 5:00 am starts. I for one would rather pay a few more dollars and go with 7:00 am as the earliest start.
Vail Squirts Victorious
Our Vail Squirt team was victorious in the Fort Collins Blades of Steel this year, wining four games and tieing one. The competition was great and everyone had a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone involved with the tournament. Click on the links below for pictures.