Woolwich U15A team wins OMHA championship

WOOLWICH’S U15A HOCKEY TEAM CAPTURED the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA) championship in Whitby last weekend. Now, the Wildcats are gearing up for a provincial title.

The team is one of five heading to London in two weeks’ time. There, they’ll vie for bragging rights as number-one in Ontario.

Right now, the team is fundraising to help cover the cost of attending the tournament.

There was funding in place to cover the cost of staying in Whitby, says team manager Jason Waechter, but the budget is now gone even as the season continues.

Budgets aside, the U15 squad is peaking at the right time. The regular season didn’t get off to a meteoric start, said Waechter, but the new, young coaching staff eventually got the team into the top three.

“We got some new non-parent coaches this year – young guys that just finished up hockey themselves. There were some moves made, player-wise, at the start of the year, and it took some time to get it together,” he said, noting many of the players had been together since novice.

“They really took it to heart – really took it seriously,” he said of the young coaching staff. “We videoed every game, and they spent a lot of time dissecting those videos and talking to players about certain things.”

Their hard work paid off.

“Everyone saw ... these things don’t come without effort, even on the coaching staff’s part.”

By last weekend’s tournament in Whitby, things had come together.

“We were a bit of an underdog, I would say, in that tournament, but we basically rolled right through it,” said Waechter, who’s son is part of the squad.

The team is hoping for a repeat performance the weekend of April 21 in what is expected to be an elimination format for the four visiting teams and the host squad in London.

The team is currently arranging some fundraising ideas. Anyone who would like to help support the Wildcats can contact Waechter via email at jasonw.d.w@gmail.com.