Panthers lace up in International Silver Stick tournament

February 8, 2018 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

Aurora rinks were buzzing with the best of the best in girls hockey over the weekend, hosting the annual International Silver Stick tournament.
A total of 56 teams competed across six divisions to earn the coveted trophy, in the largest youth hockey tournament in the world.
The Bantam AA Panthers came the closest to tasting silver in their hometown tournament, playing in a massive 16-team division while going undefeated in the round robin.
A meeting with the Clarington Flames in Saturday’s quarterfinal set up a date on Sunday morning with the Oakville Hornets, where Aurora came out on the wrong end of a tight 3 – 2 score.
Oakville went on to lose 4 – 1 to North York in the afternoon’s championship game.
The Bantam As met a similar fate in their eight-team division, winning all three round-robin games before falling 3 – 2 to the Barrie Sharks in the semifinal.
The Atom A Panthers (Morning) also bowed out in their respective semifinal, 4 – 1 to the Belleville Bearcats.
Honourable mentions go out to the Atom A Panthers (Barnett), Atom BBs, and Bantam BBs who competed well against the top teams in North America.
Now in its nineteenth year, the annual Silver Stick tournament in Aurora attracts over 1,000 spectators and athletes.
As the Central York Girl’s Hockey Association regular season comes to a close, the Aurora Panthers rep teams are preparing for playoff action.
Schedules will be posted at www.girlshockey-centralyork.com.