Kevin Kozar EPIC Shootout Results

Port Arthur Arena was rocking on Friday night, as the new home of the Kevin Kozar Epic Shootout, presented by Cwench Hydration
 

Twenty U9 teams, consisting of some 360 players descended on the old barn, and it’s safe to say that the building was buzzing…
 

The music was pumping, and our favourite young announcer, Burke Clower, was on the mic. The players did their best to live up to the hype in the building, and there were some amazing displays of skill on display. We saw bardown snipes, sick dekes, poke checks, and windmill glove saves…hundreds of phones in the air taking videos to immortalize the moment…
 

Through the cheers, the beaming smiles and a few heartbreaking tears (eased by every player receiving a delicious Cwench drink from our generous supporting sponsor as they left the ice), four teams emerged to make it to the semifinals.
 

The first semifinal saw the Westfort Maroons Athletics take on the West End Bruins. The Athletics had survived a thrilling first round match against the Norwest Shooting Stars, eking out a 6-5 win in sudden-death overtime, before taking care of the Westfort Mavericks 3-1 in the second round. The Bruins path to the semifinals also included two tight games…first a 4-3 win over the Westfort Mustangs, and then a wild come-from-behind triple-overtime 8-7 win over the Norwest North Stars. Despite the Bruins always being strong shootout contenders, the Athletics proved to be just too much on this night, and punched their ticket to the final with a 5-2 win.
 

On the other side of the bracket, it was an all Westfort showdown, with the Broncos up against the defending champion Rangers. The Broncos got their night off to a good start with a 4-1 win over the VP Bearcats, and then took out the Norwest Stars by a 5-3 score. The Rangers had opened their title defence with a convincing 6-1 win over the Current River Comets, and followed it up by sneaking past the Westfort Maroons 5-3 to set up the semifinal matchup against their Westfort cousins. In that semifinal, the Broncos channeled a young John Elway in those gorgeous orange uniforms, and took the unofficial Frederica Street Cup by a 5-2 margin, ending the Rangers dynasty dreams.
 

The Championship final did not disappoint, as these two strong teams exchanged blows for ten exciting minutes at the end of a long night for those little legs. In what turned into a goaltending duel, the teams were scoreless through the first half of the showdown. Eventually a few goals started sneaking past the two strong goalies, with the Broncos holding on for a riveting 3-2 win. Special congrats go out to Broncos’ goalie, AJ Mazur, who had backstopped the Westfort Rangers to the title last year, thus becoming a back-to-back champ!
 

Congrats to the Maroons Athletics on a great run…we hope you enjoy the delicious, nutritious Sport Pasta from our title sponsor…a great way to keep your bodies ready for competition!

As for our Champions, the Westfort Broncos? Enjoy those cases of Cwench Hydration Beverage…they’re delicious, and will help you recover after strenuous nights like this!
 

Thanks to all the players, coaches, families and friends in the stands for making this another great night at the rink! BIG thanks to Amy Johnson and Miles Kozar, who were on hand all night, and presented the championship plaque for the Kevin Kozar Epic Shootout to the Broncos. Thanks to Burke Clower for once again lending us your fantastic play by play skills to add to the evening's excitement. Thanks to all the volunteers who made this first Epic Shootout at Port Arthur Arena a massive success…and last, but not least, HUGE thanks to our title sponsors, Cwench Hydration and Northwest Distribution. We are beyond thankful of your support of this great event!!