The U11 Canora Cobras hosted a weekend hockey tournament on February 25 to 26, and kept the home fans engaged and entertained right to the final game of the tournament. The Cobras ended up as the runner-up in the A final, with the win going to the Yorkton UCT Terriers.
The tournament involved six teams: Canora, Foam Lake Flyers, Kamsack Flyers, Oxbow Huskies, Yorkton FFUN Motorsports Terriers, and the Yorkton UCT Terriers.
Each team played two round robin games, with the Cobras facing Kamsack and then Yorkton FFUN Motorsports Terriers.
In the game against the Flyers on Friday the Cobras skated to a 4 to 1 victory, and then defeated Yorkton 7 to 5 in a back-and-forth battle on Saturday.
“As we were able to win both games in round robin play, that advanced us to the A final early Saturday evening,” said Jeff Sznerch, Cobras head coach.
The A final pitted the Cobras against the second Yorkton team in the tournament, the UCT Terriers. Canora showed they were ready to compete right from the first puck drop, and opened a 2 to 0 lead early in the first period. But Yorkton battled back and tied the game at 2 goals each by the first intermission.
The UCT Terriers built a 6 to 4 lead after two periods, and then added to their advantage in the third, with a final score of 11 to 5.
“We lost that game to a very good team,” shared Sznerch.” Our kids played very well all weekend long, giving a very good effort and trying their best out on the ice. We are very proud of them as coaches for finishing in second place as well as how they have developed as a team.
“I would like to commend our team manager & our tournament committee for putting together a fantastic home tournament for our U11 Cobras team and the other five teams that joined us in Canora for a great weekend of hockey. In addition, I would like to thank all the parents for volunteering their time to help out wherever needed to make the weekend run without a hitch.”
Sznerch said the Cobras are looking forward to the upcoming Major Hockey League playoffs.
“We have finished about middle of the pack in league play and will face Yorkton FFUN Motorsports Terriers in our first round of playoffs. Having tied them earlier in the year in exhibition play and winning a close game in our tournament, our group is looking forward to a competitive series with them in the days to come,” concluded Sznerch.
