U12A | Jan 19, 2026 | Mark Stanley | 600 views
U12A Surge Win International Silver Stick Championship
The U12A Southeast Surge travelled to Newmarket this past weekend to take on a stacked field at the International Silver Stick. The Surge booked their spot after winning the regional silver stick tournament earlier this year in Owen Sound. This years field was made up of 9 other regional winners plus the host team. Pool A consisted of the Georgian Bay Islanders, Kent Cobras, South Oxford Storm, Petoskey Northmen and Jackson Melling Performance both being from Michigan. Pool B was made up of the Surge, Ausable Valley Coyotes, Vaughan Rangers, Newmarket Renegades and the Northwest Chargers from Chicago.
The Surge looked to get off to a good start when they took on the Vaughan Rangers on Thursday afternoon. The team came out flying in the first game and carried that effort to 3-0 lead early in the 2nd period before the Rangers got on the board however the Surge bounced back 2 min later to make it 4-1 and cruised to a 5-2 victory. Next up on Friday morning was the Northwest Chargers which saw two teams who didn't know anything about each other however this would change over the next few days! This game was a sign of how competitive this tournament would be. Again the Surge came out flying and took a 1-0 lead after the first period however the chargers had other plans and scored two goals in the 2nd period to take a 2-1 lead. The Surge dug deep and tied the game before the end of the 2nd setting up a great third period. Early in the 3rd the lead was restored and then a PP goal bolstered that lead to 4-2 however the Chargers fought back to make it 4-3 with 5 min left. A frenetic last 5 minutes saw the Surge just hang on for a 4-3 win with Rylan Koeslag standing tall in net.
Game 3 Friday afternoon saw the Surge take on the Ausable Coyotes who were also 2-0 meaning this game would have a huge impact on the final pool B standings. The Coyotes ousted the Surge back in September from a tourney in New Hamburg which fueled the Surge players. The Surge carried the play in this game from start to finish resulting in a 4-1 win. With this win securing a spot in the semi finals on Sunday the kids attended the opening ceremonies Friday night trading pins with teams from all over North America including Florida, Utah, Philadelphia and many others from all over Ontario and Michigan. A long wait to finally play their last Pool B game at 4:30pm on Saturday afternoon against the host team Newmarket Renegades saw the team come out sluggish which resulted in a 2-2 game midway through the 2nd period at which point the coaching staff passed on some words of encouragement and as they usually do the kids responded and powered to a 9-2 win to finish pool play at 4-0.
This set up a semi-final game early Sunday morning at 7:30am against the Kent Cobras the #1 rated team in Ontario. Full credit to the kids who went to bed early and showed up eager to lay it all out on the ice. The team started so fast the Cobras took two penalties early in the first period setting up a 5 on 3 PP. The PP unit went to work and within 30 seconds the Surge took a 1-0 lead. This game was easily the fastest hockey these kids have seen this season and although it was back and forth Jase Berlett pounced on a rebound to make it 2-0 early in the 2nd period. Early in the 3rd period the Cobras finally got on the board setting up a wild 3rd period. With 7 minutes left Rowan Buchanan set up Jaxson Stanley to rebuild the 2 goal lead however the Cobras answered with 5 minutes left making it again a 1 goal game. This is where the team dug deep. A late penalty on the surge made it 6 on 4 for the last minute and a half. The D core and penalty killers were outstanding keeping the game at 3-2 through the final buzzer. The surge killed 4 penalties in this game showing some true grit blocking shots and doing whatever it took to get the job done. Off to the Finals!!!
The Final saw a rematch with the Northwest Chargers who beat the Georgian Bay Islanders 4-0 in the other semi final. Coming into the final the Chargers had only gave up 5GA in 5 games with the Surge accounting for 4 of them in their pool B game. This game was indicative of two teams playing their 6th hard fought game of the weekend with both teams trying to find the energy to bring it home. Darren Beyer who was incredible in the semi final win got the start in the final and put the team on his back making save after save. Finally in the 2nd period the Surge struck first as Rowan flew past the D on a breakaway and made no mistake making it 1-0. As the game entered the 3rd both teams were trying to gain an edge but neither goalie would budge. Sam Brunkard then made a rush up the ice, entered the zone and got the puck on net where Jase Berlett capped off a great tournament getting the puck across the line for a 2-0 lead with 12 min left. This was a weekend where the team learned to make good decisions all over the ice to win close games and for the next 8 minutes the surge played awesome hockey however the Chargers got through and shot in a rebound with 3 minutes left to set up furious ending to the game. With the goalie pulled the Chargers made every effort to tie the game but the Surge stood strong with Beyer delivering an unforgettable performance all game long and finally the buzzer sounded and the party was on!!!
The Coaching Staff would like to say how proud we are of the entire team. The team has really bought in at practice this year, improved in all areas and when it was all on the line they showed up when it mattered most. The team now prepares for their next tournament in Clarington in 3 weeks and then the fun starts as playoffs begin with an OMHA championship spot on the line. Keep it going boys!!!!