Ottawa Next Level U11 Boys win Ontario Cup Division 3 Gold Medal

 
The ONL U11 Boys team competed in the highly anticipated OBA provincial championships, vying for the coveted Ontario Cup Gold Medal.  The three-day tournament took place in Richmond Hill, Ontario, on March 27-29, 2015. 
 
The 11 boys of ONL U11 had been practicing fiercely throughout the season, training with expert guest coaches, and playing in virtually any tournament for which they were eligible. 

Despite winning several bronze and silver medals at regional and qualifying tournaments in Ontario and Quebec during the season, including silver medals at both the Chris Poulin Tournament in Kanata and Blessed Sacrament in Hamilton, and bronze medals at IEM in Newmarket and MUMBA in Markham, the gold medal remained elusive.  

These wins ended up bumping this ostensible upstart team into Division 3 for the Ontario Cup, though seeded last (8^th).
 
With all hands on deck, the caravan packed up and headed to Toronto for the OBA finals, and Coach gave the boys given strict instructions to ensure they had enough energy to play a 7:30pm game that night.  The first opponent, the North Toronto Huskies, came out strong, and our boys had to quickly regroup and adjust their strategy.  A true nail-biter, ONL squeaked out a win, edging the Huskies 40-38 in regulation.  But no time to cheer—the boys headed back to the hotel and straight to bed, hoping to rejuvenate before a 9am game.
 
Saturday morning brought new energy but new challenges, as ONL faced off against Toronto Triple Threat, the top-seeded team in the division, and clearly the club to beat.  The intense training during regular season started paying dividends just in time, and ONL won 41-36.  
 
Boosted by their second win, the boys rested and reviewed their performance.  The last game in the round-robin would be against the dreaded MUMBA team from Markham-Unionville—ONL was 1-1 against this team in the past . . . They were fast, aggressive, and wouldn’t hold back!!  This would be a psychological battle, to say the least, and the boys would have to focus their efforts on the dynamic teamwork they had developed.  Unfazed by questionable refereeing and injuries caused by rough play, ONL persevered and demonstrated true sportsmanship, hammering them 46-33.
 
Now taking a 3-0 record into the gold medal match on Sunday afternoon, the ONL boys and families alike were giddy with excitement.  Engaging the second-seeded Brantford Hawks in the final, it was clear that they would have to utilize all their skills and coaching, and draw all remaining vigor for one last game.  It was a dazzling display of top-notch defense and resilience, and ONL played the best game of their extraordinary season, thrashing their opponents with a 31-19 victory!!  Gold Medal!!  Ontario Cup 2014-15 Champions!!
 
Endless cheering and applause drowned out the conveners’ speeches, and the icing on the cake was also winning the free throw contest!  New jackets for the team, gold medals worn proudly as badges, and smiles that last for days and days . . . Coaches Tarcisse, Navdeep and Juan, along with Medic/Trainer Sumeet couldn’t be more proud and inspired by our boys’ stellar performance.  And it would never have happened without the invaluable support of the 6^th man on every shift:  the ONL families!!  Loudest.  Cheering.  Ever.    
 
Our team motto never meant so much to these remarkable young men:  Respect, Team Play, and Effort.  Congratulations ONL U11!!  You are our Dream Team!!