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The London Junior Knights Atom AA Green team didn’t waste any time having success during the 2019-2020 season. In fact, in their first action following exhibition games back in September, the team won the Kawartha Lakes AA Tournament in Peterborough, ON, going undefeated in their five contests. At the Kinsmen Civic Centre, the Junior Knights earned a 3-2 victory over Burlington to claim the tournament championship.
“This team of 16 young men, and one young lady, have proven that they can play at an elite AA level,” says Matt Smith, the team’s head coach. “Our primary goal at the beginning of the year was to be the smartest, hardest-working and most-skilled Atom AA team in Ontario.”
They’ve certainly fared well on the ice in 2019-2020. Competing in the Alliance, against teams in Brantford, Kitchener, Waterloo, Hamilton, Woodstock and others, the Atom AA Green team put up an impressive record of 19-0-2 heading into late December. In other words, they had gone unbeaten in regular season play and were 27-4-4 overall in their first 35 games.
“We’re a hard-working, skilled team that is speedy and smart,” says Smith, who is in his second year of coaching with the Junior Knights, an organization that he played for (and was employed by) when he was a kid. “We’re always trying to improve our work ethic and hockey intelligence, as well as becoming better team players.”
Goal #2 for Smith and his players was winning the Alliance and playing in the OHF finals. They’ll hope to achieve those aims in January and February as the regular season wraps up and playoffs take place. But for all their success on the ice, Smith says he’s been most impressed by other qualities that the players possess.
“How they treat each other and their coaching staff far surpasses any accomplishment that comes on the ice,” says Smith. “They are truly great teammates – and even better people.”
Contributions by Matt Smith and photo by Sarah Juusola
