Polar Bears Three-peat in Winning the 1996-97 PeeWee National ChampionshipOn Sunday, April 13, 1997, the Connecticut Polar Bears PeeWee 1 team won the Women's PeeWee (age 15 and under) National Championship. The Polar Bears successfully defended the National Title they won last year by beating Minnesota 5-2 in the championship game. The win represented the Peewees third championship in as many years. The National Tournament was held from Wednesday April 9 through Sunday April 13 in Boston, Massachusetts. The win by the Polar Bears represented the seventh national title won by the Polar Bears in twelve years. Since being formed in 1985, the Polar Bears PeeWees and/or Midgets have played in the championship game in 12 out of the last twelve years. The twice-defending champion Peewees won five games and tied one to take the title at the Nationals in Boston, MA. The scores were as follows:
The Peewees reached the semifinals as the first place team in the National Division by virtue of a tie-breaker with Chelmsford. In the Sunday morning semifinal, the Bears faced old rival Assabet Valley, MA, a team that the Peewees had faced in the last two National finals. Gloria Velez scored first at 6:41 of the first period; Amanda Love followed with a goal at 5:01 in the second. In the third, Gloria Velez stole the puck from an Assabet defender and lifted a backhand goal past the Assabet goalie to seal the win. Assabet scored with 4 minutes 44 seconds left in the game but the Bears, with Renee Kirnan in net, held on for the win. In the other semifinal, Minnesota defeated Chelmsford 1-0 to set up the final against the Bears. The Bears dominated the first half of the game taking a 2-0 lead on goals by Carla Hess and Julie Chu. With 5:58 left to go in the second period, however, Minnesota struck back scoring from the point. With 2:06 left in the second, Minnesota scored again to tie the game. It appeared that the momentum had changed, but Julie Chu changed the course of the game in the last two minutes of the period. Twenty-one seconds after Minnesota had tied the game, Julie skated through the entire Minnesota team to score with 1:45 left. Then, with 53 seconds left in the period, Julie scored again on a second rebound off the Minnesota goalie's pads. Just 46 seconds into the third period, Amanda Love scored on a backhand in front of the net giving the Bears a three goal lead which they would hold for the balance of the game. Victoria Elkins, in goal, held off Minnesota for the final 11 minutes. Other members of the National Championship team are:
In order for the Polar Bears to qualify to play in the U.S. National tournament, they swept the New England PeeWee tournament which was held March 14-16, 1997 in Burlington, Vermont. Polar Bear Record in National Championship Competition1986 Detroit, MI - PeeWees won in final over Assabet, MA 7-0 1987 Buffalo, NY - Midgets lost in final to Stoneham, MA 3-1 1988 Minn., MN - Midgets lost in double OT final to Stoneham, MA 3-2 1989 New Haven, CT - Midgets lost in final to Assabet, MA 2-1 1990 Detroit, MI - Midgets won in 7 OT final against Assabet, MA 2-1 1991 Boston, MA - Midgets won in final against Michigan 3-2 1992 Duluth, MI - Midgets lost in final to Assabet, MA 4-2 1993 did not make the finals 1994 Detroit, MI - PeeWees lost in final to Chelmsford, MA 2-1 1995 Syracuse, NY - PeeWees won in double OT final against Assabet, MA 2-1 1996 Bloomington, MN - PeeWees won in final against Assabet, MA 5-2 1997 Boston, MA - PeeWees won in final against Minnesota 5-2 1997 Boston, MA - Midgets won in final against Minnesota 3-1
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