The Hampton Roads Whalers U16 team spent 4 days in Brick, New Jersey preparing for the season, entering the War at the Shore tournament Aug 18-21. The Whalers started the tournament against the NY Stars on Thursday afternoon earning a 4-1 victory and setting the tone for what would become a very rewarding weekend. Friday's schedule placed the Whalers against the Delaware Ducks (4-2 win) and the home team Brick Hockey Club (2-1 win). After finishing late on Friday (close to midnight), the Whalers had a quick turn around on Saturday morning to face another local team in Tom's River Blackhawks...and the Whalers were more than ready, blanking the Blackhawks 10-0 for their 4th straight win of the weekend.
With the #1 seed locked up and no more games until Sunday, the Whalers enjoyed some down time and visited the Jersey Shore Boardwalk where they continued their competitive nature with some putt-putt golf and raced go karts.
Faced with a 6 hour drive home, the Whalers took the ice at 6:20pm on Sunday night to face the Brick hockey Club for the Championship. After a hard fought battle the Whalers finally broke the 0-0 tie late in the 2nd period and never looked back. It wasn't until the final minute that the Whalers were able to secure the victory with 2 more goals in the final minute of play.
The offensive numbers were plentiful and the defense and goaltending was solid, posting 23 goals for and only 4 against.
The Whalers have set the bar high for their season and look forward to continued success.