U13 BB Warriors capture Alliance Championship

The U13 BB Stratford Warriors became Alliance Minor Hockey Champions at the March 20-22 finals. Pictured in the first row, from left to right, are Parker Vollmer and Greyson DeGroot. In the second row, from left, are Keegan Brighton, John Clarance, Carson Schenck, Bryce Burdett, Easton Mathieson, Grayson O’Donnell and Keaton Weesjes. In the third row, from left, are Aiden Weicker, Colton Donelle, Wyatt Rose, Tyler Binkle, Gavin Jones, Brock Czajkowski, Damien Lonergan and Hayes Francis. In the fourth row, from left, are assistant coach Blair Clarance, assistant coach Dustin Rose, assistant coach John Jones, head coach Dean Burdett and manager Alicia Houston.

The U13 BB Stratford Warriors earned the Minor Hockey Alliance Championship banner March 20-22.

Head coach Dean Burdett called his team’s championship weekend showing a strong team effort.

“I thought the boys played very well as a team this weekend,” Burdett told the Times. “We had different games where different players stepped up and contributed. I felt our top players played well and led the way. We had been passing the puck very well, got the puck deep in the opposing team’s end, forechecked hard and were solid defensively.”

Burdett added the weekend heavily reflected the group’s development over the course of the campaign.

“My biggest takeaway was how much our team has improved overall this season,” said Burdett. “Our detail to passing and the good choices we made with the puck got better as the weekend went on. We really stressed team play and making sure they bought into what we asked. They peaked at the right time, with some playing through injuries. I felt we played well in tight games.”

The team’s improvement was also shown in their overall record, going from being near the bottom of their league last year to an Alliance banner this season.

“I felt from the beginning, our staff knew we had a good group of players,” Burdett remarked. “From the year before, when we only won a few games and finished at the bottom with a 12-27-3 record, to winning the Alliance this year with a 28-15-6 record was huge. I was so happy for the boys on the team from the previous year to experience this success, and the new players we added bought in and were great additions to the team.”

The bench boss described a galvanizing moment after one of the team’s earliest games that pushed the Warriors to go undefeated in the round-robin. 

“When shaking hands Friday night after our win versus the London Bandits, the team we went on to beat in finals, one of the coaches made a comment saying they would see us Saturday night in the semis,” said Burdett. “They already thought we would lose our Saturday morning game. We won that game and went straight to the finals. Underestimating us gave us a bit of a push.”

Burdett recalled a special moment in the dressing room before one of the team’s later games in the weekend.

“Towards the finals, I mentioned to the boys before the game about how far they had come this year, how proud we were of them and what they had done this weekend so far. We emphasized how important it was to stay disciplined against London, to use our speed, to work each system we have, depending on the score and period. The focus was there, and they won because of it.”

In the finals, the Warriors came up against the London Bandits. After a scoreless first period, Bryce Burdett used his speed to get by a London defender before burying a backhand goal, the only one of the second frame.

The Bandits tied the game at one apiece just under a minute into the third, with the game staying deadlocked until with just four minutes and five seconds left in the third when the team’s season-long MVP, Aiden Weicker, put home the go-ahead goal from Hayes Francis. A clutch faceoff win by Bryce led to Francis firing it into an empty net.

According to the head coach, the tournament win was a fantastic culmination to their season.

“For this only being the second year most of our boys have been together, I felt winning a championship was just absolutely awesome. Plus, knowing what a hockey town we are, I thought this was so awesome for this group. This is great for our boys to see that teamwork and hard work do pay off.

“I mentioned to them about my experience winning an All-Ontario Championship and how I still talk to the friends I played with years ago,” Dean continued. “They will see this banner hanging in the arena and will always remember this amazing accomplishment and their teammates and friends they met that season.”

Dean added there was no shortage of great contributors throughout the Alliance Championships.

“I felt our defence, led by Colton (Donelle) and Hayes (Francis), really bought into getting pucks out of our end and for a lot of heads-up plays. It was nice to see Keegan (Brighton), Easton (Mathieson), Carson (Schenck), and Tyler (Binkle) score a goal and help contribute to us moving on. I have to give credit to our goalie, Greyson (DeGroot), who won a big game for us on Saturday versus the North London Nationals. He also had a heads-up play in the finals, coming out of his net and clearing a possible scoring chance.”

Dean further expressed gratitude to the entire team for creating such a special end to their season.

“I could feel a difference in the boys’ focus before our games this weekend. When we came in the room before to talk to them, all eyes were on me, and they listened to our gameplan. I felt our defence tighten up and helped clear pucks and make good plays out of our end. I have to say a big thanks to our assistant coaches, Blair (Clarence), John (Jones), and Dustin (Rose), and to our manager, Alicia (Houston), for all her hard work and dedication to our team. All in all, it was a great finish to our season, with a great coaching staff and an even greater group of boys.”