MONCTON, N.B.: The U15A Tri-County Rangers put together a dominant weekend in Moncton, sweeping their way through the tournament and capturing the championship with a perfect 5-0 record.
While the Rangers were impressive offensively throughout the weekend, it was their defensive play that stood out most.
From the opening game through the championship final, the entire roster contributed to a defensive effort that had the team playing with confidence at both ends of the ice.
In fact, the Rangers could make a case that the entire team deserved to be named tournament MVPs.
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The Rangers opened the tournament with a convincing 14-3 victory over the Beaubassin Jays, setting the tone for the weekend. They followed that up with an 11-3 win over the Riverview River Hawks before facing their toughest test of the round-robin portion against the Truro Bearcats.
The Rangers edged Truro 4-3 to finish the preliminary round undefeated and earn a spot in the semifinals.
There was no letdown in the playoff round.
The Rangers exploded offensively in the semifinal, defeating the Kent-Sud Expos 13-2 to punch their ticket to the championship game.
That set up a rematch with Truro, and the final proved to be the closest and most entertaining game of the tournament.
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The Rangers prevailed 15-11 over the Bearcats to claim the championship.
Across five games, the Rangers scored 57 runs while allowing just 22, a plus-35 run differential.
Tri-County scored at least 11 runs in four of their five games and never allowed an opponent to score more than 11.
That team-first approach was evident throughout the weekend and ultimately carried the Rangers to the tournament title.
