Congrats to the 2010 Outcasts 94’s on their Bantam Gold division Silver medal

The spring and early summer of 2010 saw a shaky season for the Outcasts 94’s as they struggled through their qualifiers with less that desired finishes at 2 NARCh qualifiers, the AAU West Coast Nationals, and WIHA finals.  The team was given the challenge prior to NARCh finals; step up, salvage your season, and play to your potential! The first year bantam Outcasts 94’s didn’t get any favors from NARCh when the schedule was released early July. With 2 weeks of intense practices prior to their trip to San Jose, the 94’s (which included one ’95 and a ’96) managed to fly in their Oregon teammates for the last week of practice and made some huge improvements in a very short time. The team seemed more focused and energized by the time they were ready to leave for the 2010 NARCh finals in San Jose, CA.

After four games of round robin, the 94’s hadn’t lost a game. With a 2-0-2 record that included a 0-0 tie against Tour Raw Steel 94’s (one of the top teams in the division), the Outcasts 94’s earned a 5^th seed and spot in the quarter finals against #4 seed Rink Rat Split. Building off the momentum of their round robin success, Rink Rat Split was defeated 3-1 and moved on to battle Nor Cal Riot who started as the #6 seed before they topped the #3 seed  Reebok Jr. Ducks Eschelon in quarter finals. The 94’s kept their streak going as they soundly moved past the Nor Cal Riot winning 4-2. That win put the Outcasts in the Bantam Gold championship against the Tour Raw Steel 94’s for a rematch that would decide this year’s champion.

NARCh blogger Alex Morrison summed up the game best with the following:

“Back in the final, the rematch between Raw Steel and the Outcasts was very similar to the first time they faced one another. A very tentative, puck control game dominated most of the 24 minutes that were played. Raw Steel finally scored a goal against Outcasts, giving them a 1-0 lead. With the type of game they played, that one goal was all they needed, as they limited the Outcasts to the outside, never allowing an odd-man rush, and not getting beat in the slot. While some commented that it was a dull game to watch, it didn’t matter to Raw Steel, as the system they had in place was obviously a winner.”

Although the Outcasts 94’s didn’t walk away with the gold medal, they played as perfect a game as possible without winning. The goal that sealed Raw Steel’s win came on a power play that only beat 94’s goal tender Eric Brown with a lucky bounce. The silver medal the team was awarded was the second NARCh finals medal earned by an Outcasts team and the first NARCh finals championship game appearance of an Outcasts team. All of this was accomplished as a first year Bantam team. The Outcasts 94’s walked away from the 2010 finals with their heads up high and their sights on a bantam platinum seed for 2011.