Boxing
Day is the start of the annual Toronto Marlies Holiday Classic Tournament and an
opportunity for 50 Minor Midget teams to showcase their talents in front of a
large number of OHL scouts. For The Kelseys Orillia North Central Minor
Midget it was a chance to extend their 9 game winning streak.
The North Central Predators opened their tournament against a familiar ETA West rival, The Richmond Hill Coyotes. Having outscored the Coyotes 14-0 in the previous 2 matches the Predators were confident in their ability to push their win streak into double digits. The Predators controlled the play much of the first period but at the end of the period the scoreboard read 1-0 in favor of the Coyotes. Early in the second the Coyotes took advantage of a Predators turnover and increased their lead to 2 goals. North Central pressed hard to get themselves back into the game and in doing so took some risks that didn't work in their favor. The score after 2 periods of play was Richmond Hill Coyotes 4 North Central Predators 1. The Predators battled back several times in the third but every time the Predators scored the Coyotes would answer back. The Coyotes ended the North Central win streak at 9 games by taking the game with the final score Richmond Hill Coyotes 6 North Central Predators 5.
In game 2 the North Central Predators faced off against the 2nd rank U15 team in the USA, the Oakland Jr 
Grizzlies. With both teams losing their morning games this was a must win for both teams as a second loss would dash any hope of advancing to the playoff rounds. The Predators came out strong and outnumbered the Grizzlies in scoring chances in the first period and at the end of the 12 minute period the Predators led the grizzlies by a score of 1-0. North Central went up by a score 3-0 early in the second but some late period penalty trouble for the Predators resulted in a Grizzlies power play goal and the North Central lead was cut to 3-1. The 3rd period was all Predators and the final score at the buzzer was North Central Predators 6 Oakland Grizzlies 1.
Day 2 of the tournament opened with the North Central Predators taking on the Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs. The Chiefs went into the game undefeated in the tournament and the Predators faced a tough task in getting a much needed 2 points. The Chiefs opened up the scoring on an early breakaway but the Predators quickly responded with 2 power play goals and took a 2-1 lead. The evenly matched teams traded some late period chances but the score after 1 was Predators 2 Chiefs 1. North Central scored the only goal of a tight checking second period and held a slim 3-1 lead going into the 3rd. A high paced third period had fans on the edge of their seats as both teams came close to finding the back of the net on several occasions. the game ended with no change in the score, North Central Predators 3 Elgin-Middlesex Chiefs 1.
Game four was a "win and your in" game for the North Central Predators and the Mississauga Reps were the team
the Predators would have to defeat. North Central came out determined to win and move on and controlled the play for much of the first period. Late in the period the Predators were finally able to beat the Reps netminder and take a 1 goal lead into the next period. The second was similar to the first with North Central controlling the play and some strong Reps goaltending holding them off the scoresheet. The period ended with North Central still holding on to the slim 1 goal lead. The Predators gave themselves some breathing room early in the third when some strong forechecking resulted in a goal and a 2-0 lead. Middway through the period with the Predators on the powerplay a North Central miscue ended up in the back of their net and left them a bad bounce away of being eliminated from the playoff rounds. Some late desperate play from the Reps created several tense final moments but some excellent saves from the Predators goaltender kept the score at 2-1. A late empty netter made the final score North Central Predators 3 Mississauga Reps 1.
Day 3 was playoff day for the Kelsey's Orillia North Central Minor Midget Predators and they were matched up against another division winner in the Hamilton Huskies. The pace was fast and furious and full of physical play and even though the Predators outnumbered the Huskies in scoring chances they trailed in goals at the end of the period. The score after 1, Huskies 1 Predators 0. Unlike the game against the Coyotes the Predators never deviated from their game plan and were soon rewarded. 2 mid period goals gave North Central a 2-1 lead that they were able to take into the third period. The constant pressure and strong fore checking of North Central finally caught up to the Huskies in the third and the Predators were able to put the puck into the Hamilton net four more times before the final buzzer. North Central Predators 6 Hamilton Huskies 1 was the final score and the Predators were one of the final 8 teams remaining in the 50 team tournament.
The Quarter finals matched the Predators up with the #1 seed from round robin play the Toronto Jr Canadiens. 
The Predators came out slow and found themselves down by 2 goals very early in the game. An early second period goal by Toronto put the Jr. Canadiens up by 3 and it looked like the rout was on. After some sustained Toronto pressure a North Central rush ended with the puck in the Toronto net and narrowed the lead to 3-1 and woke the lifeless Predators up from hibernation. A late North Central power play marker got them to within a goal going into the third period. The third period was high paced as North Central looked to tie the game but some aggressive play ended with the Predators in the penalty box. The Jr. Canadiens power play quickly took advantage and made the score 4-2 in favor of Toronto. The Predators did not give up and once again were able to reduce the deficit to 1. Some late game heroics were not to be found and the game ended with the Toronto Jr. Canadiens defeating the North central Predators by a score of 4-3 and eliminating the Predators from the Holiday Classic Tournament. The Toronto Jr. Canadiens went on to win the tournament.
The Kelsey's Orillia North Central Predators will next face off against their rivals, the Barrie Colts, in league play when they travel to Innisfil on Saturday Jan 2nd for a 6:45pm game. The Predators will return home on Sunday Jan 3rd to take on the visiting Markham Waxers at the MASK in Rama at 2:45pm.
Written by Doug Sweeney