The Ridge Meadows Renegades had one thing in mind as they took to the floor for the gold medal game in the U-15 division of the 2012 Western Challenge Cup.
The Renegades were seeking revenge for their only loss in the tournament, a 4-3 decision to Saskatchewan.
Revenge is exactly what they extracted as the Renegades played tight defence to drop the Prairie team 3-1 to take home the gold at the Kensington Park Arena in Burnaby on Sunday.
The U-15 Renegades’ stifling defence should have come as no surprise to Saskatchewan, as the Ridge Meadows team entered the gold-medal game having drubbed Manitoba 7-1 in quarterfinal action, then blanked the Surrey Scorpions 6-0 in the semis.
The Renegades opened the tournament with a 2-2 draw against the Valley Hawks. After their loss to Saskatchewan, the Renegades halted the Richmond Attack 10-2.
• The U-17 Renegades earned silver at the Western Challenge Cup in Vancouver.
The Renegades faced the Delta Giants in the gold-medal game Sunday, the same team that beat them 8-5 in the final game of round-robin play.
Despite a valiant effort, the U-17 team ran out of gas in the final, dropping a 9-3 decision for a silver medal.
The hardware was well earned for a team that opened the tournament with two straight losses, 5-4 to Metro and 5-2 to the Valley Flyers.
The U-17 Renegades salvaged their tournament with an 8-1 win over the Richmond Blazers and a 4-1 victory over the Surrey Scorpions.
The win against Surrey proved to be the tie-breaker the Renegades needed to make it to the playoff round, as both teams finished with a 2-3 record in the preliminary round.
They punched their ticket to the gold medal game by tripping up the Valley Flyers 5-3 in the semi-finals.
• The Ridge Meadows Renegades stuck to their game plan and earned bronze in the U-13 division
at the Western Challenge Cup ball hockey tournament in Burnaby on Sunday.
The U-13 Renegades bounced back from a 7-2 semi-final loss to the Edmonton Xtreme to claim bronze with a 3-2 win over the Surrey Scorpions.
Coach Dave Weloy said he was proud of how his team battled throughout the weekend.
He said the team philosophy is built around five Ds: dedication, desire, discipline, drive and determination .
“It’s the players and our goalies with positive attitudes that follow team systems and fight with a fire in the belly that make us true champions, win or lose,” said Weloy. “I am very proud of our players and enjoyed the experience of high-level competition and building new friendships.”
The Renegades went 3-0 in the opening round at the Bill Copeland Sports Centre.
The team opened the tournament with a 2-1 win over the Xtreme, followed by wins of 5-3 over the Scorpions and a 4-2 win over the Richmond Rockets.
In playoff action, the Renegades roughed up the Tri-City Terror 8-2 before falling to Edmonton in the semis.
U-13 Renegade team members: Matteo Petrelli, Nathin Weloy, Rhys Caverly, Devon Taylor, Justin Fabbian, Damian Richards, Marc Gautreau, Jaeden Dumont, Adam Ogorman, Connor Nass, Lars Craik, Dakota McKenzie, Alex Digiovanni, Liam Foster, Tanner Woodruffe, Dylan Tonks, Adrian Marconni, Marcus Cot, and Ryan Elmer.
• The Ridge Meadows U-19 team had a chance to grab a bronze medal, but lost aheart-breaker 5-4 to Metro on Sunday at the Bill Copeland Arena.
The U-19 Renegades went 1-2-1 in the opening round of play, starting the tournament with a 3-1 loss to the Delta Giants. After beating the Surrey Scorpions 6-1, the team played to a 3-3 draw with eventual bronze-medal winners Metro. They finished with a 4-1 loss to the Valley Passion.
The Renegades picked up where they left off in the quarterfinals, falling 3-1 to the Passion.
• The Ridge Meadows Renegades U-11 team finished the tournament in sixth, going 1-5. The team beat the Richmond Thunder 7-0.