The playoff rounds at the 2024 U15 A Ontario Hockey Federation (OHF) championship tournament will begin on Sunday morning at Rotary Place in west Orillia.
Event co-chair Brad Carnahan says the tournament is running smoothly.
"All the wrinkles got worked out on Friday and everything is going well," he said. "The hockey has been great and it's only going to get better."
Carnahan expects the stands to be packed for the semi-final games at 9:30 a.m. and noon on Sunday. He says there is a "playoff atmosphere" at Rotary Place.
"We are pretty sure Orillia is going to be one of the teams playing at this point," he said. "It's going to be a pretty exciting day."
The Millwood Logistics Orillia Terriers U15 team tied Woolwich on Saturday afternoon 1-1, improving their tournament record to 1-1-1. They play Temiskaming Shores at 7 p.m. on Saturday night.
Defenceman Ben Lacroix says this weekend's tournament has been unlike any other experience in hockey.
"It's been amazing," he said. "It's been a lot of fun hanging out with the boys."
Forward Steven Skentzos says playing the best teams in Ontario at the A level has been "a lot of fun."
"I think we've shown that we can compete with them," he said. "Hopefully, we can bring home the gold medal."
As the host team, the Terriers didn't have to qualify for this weekend's tournament, unlike their opponents.
"We want to prove that we belong here," Lacroix said. "I think we've definitely done that so far."
Skentzos says the Terriers have put in a ton of work this season to compete on the OHF stage.
"These other teams don't think we deserve to be here," Skentzos said. "I think we have been going out there and proving them wrong."
The Terriers expect the intensity to reach a new level during Sunday's playoff rounds.
"We have to stick to our game," Lacroix said. "It's going to be a lot faster paced," Skentzos added.
Both Lacroix and Skentzos, who are Patrick Fogarty Catholic Secondary School students, hope to see a big crowd at Rotary Place on Saturday.
"It's been really cool seeing all the fans," Lacroix said. "It's nice to see everybody come out to support us."
For an up-to-date schedule and more information about the OHF championship tournament, click here.
