On the weekend of Jan. 8 to 10, the Sunshine Coast Minor Hockey Association hosted the second annual Atom C Winter Classic. The three Coast Atom C Blues teams played host to teams from Vancouver, Aldergrove, Abbotsford and Coquitlam.
The competition throughout the tournament was tough, with all nine teams being very well matched in competition and ability. Entering Sunday afternoon, none of the teams in the medal rounds was decided until the final games were played. After all was said and done, Coquitlam was slated to play Vancouver Thunderbirds for bronze and the Atom C3 Blues squeaked through to the gold medal game against the undefeated Aldergrove C3.
The gold medal game was a complete nail-biter. Our Atom Blues scored the first goal, holding on to the lead until the second period when Aldergrove tied it up. It was back and forth throughout both the second and third periods, and remained tied at 3-3, leading to four-on-four overtime. The Blues took on a tripping penalty three minutes into overtime, making their chances for gold look very unlikely, but with 21 seconds left in overtime, Atom C3 Blues scored a short-handed goal to take gold.
It was a hard-fought game, with every player leaving it all on the ice.
