Woodstock Wildcats U15 A team brings home gold from Tennessee

The U15 team won all five games they played, capped off by a 5-4 win over a team from Massachusetts in the title game. (Woodstock Wildcats photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Tennessee may seem like a long way to go just to play some hockey, but the team made it more than worth its while to cross the border and bring home a championship.

The Wildcats U15 team won the Smashville Girls Hockey Showcase in Nashville recently, something head coach and well-known hockey icon Chad Paton said was an incredible trip.

“This the last year that a majority of these girls will likely play together as U18 becomes a three-year age group and we wanted them to have something special and memorable. It was important that when they look back on their hockey experiences growing up, they have positive and happy memories.”

He added the coaching staff checked with parents before planning the trip as it is a time and financial commitment.

“Everyone was in favour so we went for it. The tournament organizers were also helpful and it was a well-run event. Nashville is a really fun city and we wanted the girls to have the full experience, play some good hockey, explore a great city, listen to some good music and overall have fun.”

Paton said he wasn’t sure what in terms of the competition stateside as their rankings can be slightly different than here and some top ranked teams may not be as strong or vice versa.

“We did play another strong Canadian team (Brampton) and saw some good competition with some of the US teams as well. The team we played in the finals was a strong AA team that had some great players. We led most of the games that we played until the final game and were down 4-1 going into the third period. This group of girls never ceases to amaze us as they came back and started catching up, eventually tying the game, then came out ahead. The best part is they never got down, they never gave up, they never turned on each other, they just keep playing their hearts out and I think that’s a big piece of how they are so successful.”

The team has enjoyed coming up with third jersey ideas and two years ago added surprise Hawaiian jerseys made for them. For the tournament, it was a mix of Canadian and county.

“We knew we wanted to do something fun for them for the tournament. Our coaches designed the plaid theme, then one of our parents was inspired and added the cowboy hat, so it was really a collaborative effort and the girls loved them and it’s something special for them as well.”

Most of the team have played together for five years and Paton said it has been a special group since the first year they came together.

“It was after covid when a number of them came together to play and we had no idea how good they were going to be. We started out in one division pre season and quickly realized we had a group of talented athletes on our hands and were able to move up and play in a stronger division.”

He added players that have come and gone over the years, and every other year it’s a minor/major factor that changes things.”

“This group this year is one of the best we’ve seen, the ‘newer’ girls on the team have been accepted with open arms from their teammates and fit right in. It is never and has never been about who’s new and not, they have always played as a team and truly care about each other.”

Even though the Wildcats won gold in Nashville, Paton said the one of the biggest takeaways is how parents from opposing teams saw them.

“We were playing a game and we were stronger than the other team by a decent margin, their parents approached some of our parents and stated how it was so nice to watch a good playing team like ours. It was refreshing and how great our girls were, they knew they were in over their heads entering the tournament but our players were good sports on and off the ice, their players had previously seen our girls off the ice before a previous game and they stated how kind our girls were to their girls.”

He added the same team commented on the Wildcats social media account with similar praise.

“At the end of the day that’s what matters, these girls are great athletes but in that they are also great people.”

Paton said he and his staff agree coaching the group of girls is an absolute pleasure and hey know the importance of a team first attitude.

“When we built our team, we had a really good idea of the kind of player we wanted. Attitude, effort and team first are right there at the top of our list of attributes we wanted our players to have. We have a goal early in the season to really make the girls understand that we will build a culture where every player wants to win for the player beside them in the room and be happy to share in each others personal success but also to be there when teammates need you.”

He said this is one of those years that he doesn’t want to see end, but in the end, he knows everyone has built lifelong relationships that the girls will never forget.

As for the guitar trophy, Paton said the team in the process of trying to find a clear guitar display case and then the hope is to hang it from the rafters at Woodstock’s Civic Arena.