East Nipissing Vipers ready to strike at International Silver Stick Championship
All season, the East Nipissing King Sportswear U12 A Vipers boys hockey team has been coiled and ready to strike.
The Vipers have been skating fast and striking hard, whenever they hit the ice.
All season, the East Nipissing King Sportswear U12 A Vipers boys hockey team has been coiled and ready to strike. (Supplied)
"It's just the best feeling -- best feeling ever," said defenceman Carter Nodwell.
The friendships and team building over the last few years helped the Vipers reach the top of the U13 rep league of the Nipissing District Hockey League.
Some players have been on the same team since their U9 days.
"I've known some of these guys since I was a little kid and I've been playing hockey for the Vipers for so long," Nodwell said.
"It's just a great feeling to be with my players and my coaches."
The team is currently 11th in the province in the Ontario U12 A rankings.
"They just love to work hard. They show up every game ready to play and they stay focused," said head coach Pat Paquette.
"They always show up. They're committed. They're ready to go every game."
It’s been a season the Vipers won’t forget. The team recently triumphed at the northern Regional Silver Stick competition in Sudbury on Nov. 17.
All season, the East Nipissing King Sportswear U12 A Vipers boys hockey team has been coiled and ready to strike. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
All season, the East Nipissing King Sportswear U12 A Vipers boys hockey team has been coiled and ready to strike. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)
Then, during the Holidays, the team won the Bell Capital Cup in Ottawa, going undefeated and taking home gold on New Year's Eve with a 6-0 win over the Kitchener Jr. Rangers.
This year’s tournament had 258 teams and more than 4,000 boys and girls from house and rep U10 to U13, junior sledge and adaptive hockey teams playing 600 games in just five days, making it the largest Bell Capital Cup since 2017.
"I'm not used to winning. I'm just really happy I have," Nodwell said.
Nodwell’s teammate, defenceman Myles Davis, said the atmosphere was a spectacle to behold.
"It was just amazing," Davis said.
'The crowd was going crazy'
"The crowd was going crazy. I was happy. Everyone was happy. We’re proud of ourselves and proud of our teammates."
The team will travel to Newmarket next Friday to compete in the International Silver Stick championship where they have games against Rochester, Newmarket, St. Mary’s and Welland in the preliminary round, before they find out if they qualify for the semifinal.
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"We’re a bit nervous, but we want to win it," forward Wolf White said.
"We just have to stick together."
Paquette said the team is finding momentum at the right time before lacing up for the tournament and that the Vipers are ready to show they can be a force when challenged.
"This has been probably the best hockey we’ve seen this team play," he said.
"We’re ready to win some games."
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