Westmount minor hockey wraps up a successful season

And while some may have doubted them after being held scoreless by the second-place Cote St. Luc Canucks in game one, the Predateurs showed that they were made of sterner stuff.

This was not the first adversity they had faced. Crowned champions at the annual St. Laurent Hockey Tournament, they returned to their Eastern Hockey League (EHL) schedule facing the added pressure of a potential perfect season.

Before the playoffs began, the only defeat the Predateurs had tasted was in a pair of exhibition games at the Cape Ann Exchange. While the losses may have stung a little, the players are more likely to remember their visit to Boston’s TD Banknorth Garden than the disappointment they suffered.

So the question remained, how they would respond to their first league loss?

The response is that they didn’t miss a beat. After evening the series with a 5-3 victory, they sealed the deal with an 8-1 rout last Wednesday.

But there was little time to celebrate, as the team also earned a berth in the Lac St. Louis Regional Tournament. They performed admirably, making it all the way to the final before losing 5-3 to the Île Bizard Aigles.

Not bad for a group of youngsters experiencing hockey outside of Westmount’s local house league for the first time.

Atom A Wings and Midget B Predateurs bring home the trophies

Along with the accomplishments of the Atom B Predateurs, several of Westmount’s other traveling teams enjoyed quite a bit of success. In fact, a total of three of the seven teams they iced took home their league’s championship trophy at season’s end.

After dealing the MRO Demons their sole regular season loss, the Atom A Wings defeated them in two straight final games, shutting them out in the deciding match for added emphasis. The Midget B Predateurs opted for the more difficult path, dropping game one 3-2 to the St. Laurent Rockets before storming back to take the next two from them by a combined score of 8-2.

With the Peewee A and Bantam A teams both playing deep into their respective regional tournaments, it’s safe to say that Westmount’s first foray into out of town competition was a resounding success.

Congratulations to all teams!