The day began with continuing uncertainty about the team. Last minute dropouts prompted last minute call ups and Half-Blue Hari Kunduri heeded the call. The packed train ride down to London proved uneventful, yet upon arrival a player mysteriously disappeared. Worry began to set in, as another player couldn't make the train, and the team was down to five. Lizzie's boyfriend and de facto team manager cum stick boy cum photographer bravely accepted to fill the avoid if needed. Luckily, Yan had only stepped out to show some guests to the hotel, and was at the Square when we arrived. Trafalgar Square was decked out in red and white when we arrived, maple leaf flags were everywhere and the place buzzing with people. Several sightings of hockey sticks and kit on the tube and during the walk there indicated we had come to the right spot. It was a blistering hot day, with temperatures hovering in the 30s and the sun beating down relentlessly.
The first match of the tournament was between the sponsors, Petro-Canada and what was likely one of the two Legion teams. This being the first street hockey tournament for Canada Day, every team watched on tentatively as no one was sure how the 4 on 4 play was going to evolve and how Dennis the referee was going to call the 15 minute game. This game was decided fairly quickly though, as Petrocan jumped to a quick 3-0 lead and cruised to a 8 nil victory. The sponsors had set the bar. The next two matches proved to be much more closely contested affairs at 4-1 and 3-2 (or somewhere thereabouts). The Cambridge Maple Leafs played last, which was a boon. Since the two teams with the best goal-differentials advanced to the final, we knew we had to win by 4 or more goals.
When we stepped out on to the rink, the anticipation started to build. Cambridge was taking on the High Commission Team, the Red Room Rockets. They were a big team and sure to have some star canucks compared to our rag tag bunch of players. With the drop of ball, we were off. The first couple of minutes looked evenly matched, as the Captain and Chris watched from the bench, with neither team getting any good chances. But then a shot was directed in front of the net, and Lizzie McNeely quickly pounced on the ball and from short range buried Cambridge's first goal. Maybe it was the mango bubble tea beforehand, or the many hours spent watching Wayne's World, but Lizzie was transformed from a girl who'd never played hockey before to becoming Cambridge's golden girl. The goal sparked the team, and with substitutions after the first shift, Chris came on on defence, and Hank on offense. With Hari's constant encourangement, "we need more goals!", captain Hank quickly netted a natural hat trick to put the game away. The flurry of goals seemed to sap the energy from the Rockets and the game ended 7-1. Chris, Yan and Hari rounded out the scoring. Cambridge was in the final!
The final was played a half hour afterwards. Whereas the Maple Leafs were still recovering from the all out effort and having just played, Petro Canada was well rested and eager to take us on after scouting us. The effects of the fatigue and sun were apparent right away as Cambridge came out flat. Nicholson's stellar goaltending was tested early and often. The Cambridge defense lapsed when they left a man uncovered to the left of the goal, and a perfect pass later Petrocan was up 1-0. The goal seemed to trigger urgency in the Cambridge minds and the offense began to ratchet up the intensity. After some good cycling, a pass sent to the point was buried into the lower corner by Manish Shah with Pronger-like accuracy tying the game. Petro Canada would not ease the pressure though and halfway through the 20 minute match, their star player scored another from far out. The referee slowly counted down the time, 4 minutes remaining... 2 minutes... 1 minute. Cambridge played desperately to get the next goal, but the Petro Canada forwards' backchecking was phenomenal. With 30 seconds left, Hari managed to free himself in the slot. The captain with the ball at half spotted him and feathered a pass. Hari one timed it into the top corner tying the game just as the buzzer sounded!
Disbelief cropped up on the Petro Canada faces and the Cambridge team began to believe they could win it all. The overtime was played frantically with both teams trading chances. But Calum and the Cambridge defence stood strong. After the 2 minutes in extra time, the referee called for a shoot out, best of three and then next goal wins. The goalies were sharp. The Petrocanada first shooter made a nice move, but missed the net. Hank took the first Cambridge shot, rattling it off the goaltenders leg for a save. The next 6 shooters were turned away, and the crowd was getting tense with anticipation. The fifth Petrocanada shooter went in quickly and for deke, but this again was saved by Calum, the Blues goalie. The Maple Leafs fifth shooter was Yan and he went in coolly, and with quick shot rifled one into the bottom lefthand corner. Cambridge won!
We all collapsed in sheer joy as the crowd cheered us on. We were all exhausted but ecstatic by this unbelievable come from behind win. Cameras started rolling in, photos were being snapped. The organisers got us together and the High Commissioner presented us the Trafalgar Square Cup and prizes. We paraded it around like we had won the Stanley Cup as we were declared champions of the inaugural Trafalgar Square Street Hockey Canada Day Tournament. Unbelievable.
Hank Liao, Captain