You might call them a ‘Tournament Team.’ After all, the London Junior Mustangs’ Major PeeWee White team has enjoyed great success in tournaments all season, reaching the final in each of their first five tourneys. They won two of those, lost once in overtime, and lost twice by one goal. In one of their tournament wins, the Mustangs trailed by three goals with six minutes left in their semi-final match before they staged an impressive comeback and earned the win in a shootout.
Tournament play has taken them to Ajax, Amherstburg, and Troy, Michigan, while they’ve played a tourney in both St. Thomas and London as well. As part of the Minor Hockey Alliance of Ontario (the Bristol Division), they’ve played travel teams from Hamilton, Brantford, Kitchener, Burlington and Sarnia, to name a few. Their goal is to qualify for the OHF PeeWee Championship at the end of the season in Kapuskasing. Head coach Shawn Phibbs thinks they have what it takes.
“When this team is focused, they have great success,” said Phibbs, who has coached minor hockey for each of the last 13 years but is making his Mustangs coaching debut this season. “Our two goalies are strong, our defensive group is well-balanced, and each of our three forward lines bring something different to the game.”
Phibbs and his coaching staff continues to work on the development of their players – both on the ice as hockey players and off it as young men. On the ice, the emphasis is put on developing individual skills while also teaching team tactics. Attention to detail is important, says Phibbs, as is getting the best effort possible out of their players each time they step on the ice.
“We continually reinforce the importance of remaining focused, staying in the moment, and not being distracted by outside influences,” Phibbs said. “Off the ice, we continue to try to impress upon our players how to be a good teammate and a good person. We try to remind them that the skills they are learning as players (focus, attitude, effort) are applicable to everything they do, whether it be school, family or other activities.”
And it seems like it’s working very well for the 17 Mustangs players, who continue to get better and grow as players – and people – each time they lace up the skates.
Contributions by Shawn Phibbs and photo by Trish Phibbs
London Junior Knights are proudly sponsored by Pond Mills Medical Pharmacy
