As always Thorsten was so excited about the Sheffield Ice Hockey tournament in June and this year was no exception!
Playing in his first year of U13’s ice hockey, Thorsten wasn’t sure of what the competition might hold. The opening game was against Chelmsford and involved Thorsten ending up lying on the ice a number of times. A 2:0 loss didn’t set a good start to the tournament but was acceptable given the high standard of the group Basingstoke found itself in.
Things improved with a win against Cardiff and a draw against the Sheffield Sabres. Ultimately though, it was two tough games against Manchester and the Sheffield Lasers (who fielded a number of U13 England players) that led to Basingstoke missing their place in the finals.
The disappointment aside, it was another fantastic weekend of camaraderie, sportsmanship, and super hospitality by our Yorkshire hosts. Although it’s always nice to win, sport is a great teacher; in addition to being gracious winners, participants also need to learn to be good losers.
Sheffield 2020 is already booked in. Go Basingstoke Junior Bisons! Go Thorsten!