The Ontario Hockey Federation Minor Hockey Championships are coming to Scarborough this year.
The West Hill Minor Hockey Association is to host the Atom AA championships at the Scarborough Gardens Arena from April 12 to 14. West Hill’s Golden Hawks will compete with five other Ontario teams for the trophy and the coveted title of OHF champions.
“It’s huge for me,” says Anthony Lamana, team forward and assistant captain. “I love hockey. It’s my favourite sport, so I just can’t wait.”
For Lamana, like the other 11-year-olds on the team, playing at the OHF Championships is a big deal.
Coach John Beatt is confident in his team. The Golden Hawks lost only four games this season.
“They’re good kids,” he said. “They’ve been on the ice four days a week since the last week in August. This is competitive hockey, so I run a very disciplined team,” he said.
According to Beatt, his team is on a strict regimen. Beatt and the parents are cooperating to ensure players get enough sleep and eat right so they are ready to compete.
Of the six minor hockey teams in Scarborough, only the Golden Hawks made it to the championship. Although, the host team gets to play in the championship by default, Beatt argues his team is good enough to contend with the others.
“We want to win this,” Beatt said. “We also want to win this for the whole GTHL (Greater Toronto Hockey League).”