Thunder shine on home ice at Paris Ringette tournament

Paris U12A players participated in an exhibition game at the Paris Ringette Tournament, continuing a strong season after moving up to the A division.

Casandra Turnbull

Managing Editor

The Paris Ringette Association welcomed teams from across Ontario for its annual home tournament, held Feb. 12–15 at the Brant Sports Complex, Gaukel Memorial Centre and Burford Community Centre.

From the Fun 2 division to U19A, the weekend showcased the depth of the association’s program, celebrating player development, teamwork and competitive success.

At the Fun 2 level, the emphasis was on participation and community spirit. No scores were kept, and all 51 participants received trophies.

Parent volunteers and coaches, with help from a few players, organized a pancake breakfast, fun games, a dressed-up coach competition and a cheer-sharing activity that had teams showing off their creativity. The weekend was a reminder that sport at its best builds friendships and confidence alongside skills.

The Fun 3 team delivered an impressive round robin, finishing 2-0-1. Paris opened with a 6-4 win over the Tillsonburg Twisters (Jacko), followed by an 11-4 victory over the St. Catharines Comets, and a hard-fought 2-2 tie against the St. Marys Snipers.

In the championship final, Paris battled back from a 3-2 second-period deficit against Tillsonburg, tying the game in the final minutes to force overtime. The Thunder ultimately fell 4-3 in extra time, earning silver after a resilient performance.

With no U12A division in this year’s tournament, the U12A squad played an exhibition game only. The team continues to enjoy a strong season, despite a short bench and several brand-new players. After being moved up from the B to A division at the start of the second half, the group has embraced the challenge and continues to grow in confidence and cohesion.

Similarly, the U14B team competed in an exhibition game, as only a U14A division was offered. While the season has presented challenges, coaches note steady improvement both individually and collectively, with players continuing to develop their skills and team play.

The U16B team went 0-3 in round-robin play, falling 7-2 to the Cambridge Turbos, 7-0 to the Burlington Blast and 8-1 to the Tillsonburg Twisters. Despite the results, the team demonstrated perseverance against strong opponents and continued to compete hard in each outing.

The U19B squad also finished 0-3 in round-robin action, dropping a close 5-3 decision to the Burlington Blast and 5-1 games to both the Elora Fergus Edge and St. Catharines Comets. The scores did not reflect the effort level, as the team battled throughout the weekend and gained valuable experience against tough competition.

For the U19A team, the Paris tournament marked the final qualifying event of the season, with round-robin games contributing to provincial ranking points.

Paris delivered wins over Mississauga, Timmins and Oshawa, along with a tie against Sunderland, advancing to Sunday’s semifinal where they once again faced Sunderland. In a hard-fought contest, Paris came up short of the final, but the results were enough to secure a major milestone.

The tournament solidified Paris U19A as one of the top six teams in Ontario out of 17, officially earning a berth at the Provincial Championships, set for March 13–15 in Waterloo/Kitchener.

The team currently sits fourth in regular-season standings with a 10-3-2 record and five games remaining. After consistently competing against top-ranked opponents all season, the group heads into Provincials with momentum and belief.

Go Thunder.