U13A West End Bruins win the Kevin Kozar Christmas Classic

The U13A West End Bruins are Champs!  Showing a flair for drama, the Bruins survived a slow start to the tournament, dropping their first two games before coming out of hibernation to run the table and bring home the trophy.

After starting with two losses, the Bruins had their backs against the wall, and won their final two round robin games to sneak into the fourth and final playoff spot in their pool, setting up a quarterfinal matchup against the top seeded Norwest Stars from the other pool.  By this point, West End was just finding their stride, and they dispatched the Stars by a 5-2 score to keep their playoff march going, setting up a semifinal matchup against the North End Blazers, who had opened the tournament by beating them 5-1.  The Bruins would get their revenge, behind a powerhouse performance by Clarke Gagnon, who scored all six goals in a 6-4 win to book a trip to the final.

Their opponents in the final, the KC Red Wings, cruised through their round robin with a perfect 4-0 record to earn the top seed overall in the division.  After dispatching the Westfort Rangers in the quarterfinals, the Red Wings would meet the Thunder Bay Queens in the semifinals.  Troy Succo scored twice early in the first period on the way to a 4-1 lead after 15 minutes, and the Red Wings would hang on to win a close 4-3 game, with Mason deGooijer shutting the door late to end the comeback attempt.

In the final, the Red Wings would get out to a 2-0 lead on goals by Ireland Whellan and Rylan Spanninga, before Clarke Gagnon got the Bruins on the board to start the comeback.  After Turner Sgambelluri tied the game late in the second period, Gagnon would strike again to put the Bruins ahead for the first time.  From there, Taylor Dunfield would slam the door shut, to seal the Bruins championship win.

Congratulations to the West End Bruins, and a thank you to all the U13A players, coaches, and families for making this a great tournament!