NewMarket Tourney

The holiday break couldn't come at a better time for the Texas Tornado. After 31 regular season games, the Tornado boast an NAHL-best 24-7-0 record. The players now will spend this week with their families for the holidays, and will then arrive in Newmarket, Ontario on December 26th for the Newmarket Hurricanes Showcase Tournament, which begins on Monday, December 27th.


The Tornado has won the past two Newmarket Showcase Tournaments, and will be looking to become the first team ever to try and win three straight. The Texas Tornado is the only American team to have won the title.

There is a strong chance that this year the Tornado (National Champs) will play the
Aurora (Canadian National Champs) in the playoffs or for the finals.

http://www.newmarkethurricanes.com/showcase/about.shtml

Anyone going to the Tourney??

The Texas Tornado won the Newmarket Showcase and became the first team to win it 3 years in a row.

Tornado went 3-0-0 during the Qualifing round
Then defeated Mississauga 9-3
Defeated Aurora 7-2

Then defeated Capital District 5-2 for the Championship

Tornado Leading scorers
1. Nick Mazzolini (Headed to Providence) 15 pts
2. Karl Sellan (Undeceided) 15 pts
3. Tom Train (Undeceided) 14 pts
4. Brad Cooper (Providence) 10 pts

Ben Bishop (Maine) went 5-0-0 with a GAA 2.00 .910 Save%

Congrats to the Tornado, they certainly impressed onlookers up here once again.
I'll say the same thing I do each year though - wish the best teams had decided to take part. Not to take anything away from Texas' win, but they beat some BRUTAL teams.
The OPJHL is WAY too watered down, and the bottom squads wouldn't beat many Junior B teams, let alone a squad of Texas' caliber.
Once again, the top teams didn't bother with the tournament. Just so you know, while Aurora are the defending national champs, they bear virtually no resemblance to last year's squad, having graduated nearly their entire squad of '03-04.
Still, Texas once again looks like a great squad. Would LOVE to see them take on some of Canada's better teams like Nanaimo, Vernon, Oakville, Camrose and the like. THAT would be a tourney worth watching... :yo:

Question for you Tornado fans, how widespread are the players picked from. I live about 5 minutes from Newmarket, Ontario. and after talking to people who were there said that the Tornado team is like an all-star team, where they pick players from all over the Texas area.

Just so you know, these OPJHL teams are formed from in small cities in Ontario, and had they been allowed to pick players from all over the OPJHL the results would be different. also some of the better OPJHL teams did not participate in the tournament. Aurora is no where near the talent they were last year. Last years Aurora team would have most likely won. But the tournament is in fun none the less so there is no need for people to be bitter about the results (and i have talkted to some bitter people). Great job done by the Tornado's.

http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/teamroster.html?teamid=13173&seasonid=608

Who were the '88 and '89 born players that stoodout? Nick Petrecki from the Capital District Selects seemed to show a real offensive side to his game that I didn't realise he had. How about Ryan Hayes from the Syracuse Stars? He's got nearly a goal a game in the regular season which is great for a 15 year old in the OPJHL.

Any impressions from someone who was there would be great.

Question for you Tornado fans, how widespread are the players picked from. I live about 5 minutes from Newmarket, Ontario. and after talking to people who were there said that the Tornado team is like an all-star team, where they pick players from all over the Texas area.



Well the Tornado recruit players from all over the country. They compete for players like everyone else in the NAHL, they even compete for players from the USHL.
I think one reason the Tornado do very well in recruiting, is that they play in a wonderful building that holds 4000 fans, with a jumbo tron. Kind of neat to watch players on the ice watch themselves on the jumbo tron after a play.

Congrats to the Tornado, they certainly impressed onlookers up here once again.
I'll say the same thing I do each year though - wish the best teams had decided to take part. Not to take anything away from Texas' win, but they beat some BRUTAL teams.
The OPJHL is WAY too watered down, and the bottom squads wouldn't beat many Junior B teams, let alone a squad of Texas' caliber.
Once again, the top teams didn't bother with the tournament. Just so you know, while Aurora are the defending national champs, they bear virtually no resemblance to last year's squad, having graduated nearly their entire squad of '03-04.
Still, Texas once again looks like a great squad. Would LOVE to see them take on some of Canada's better teams like Nanaimo, Vernon, Oakville, Camrose and the like. THAT would be a tourney worth watching... :yo:

Ya I was hoping there would be a lot better teams there. Oakville was there last year and Texas beat them in the finals.

Still have a dream that the top teams in the NAHL, USHL, OPJHL, play in a post season tourney.

Congrats to the Tornados.

BTW, I was reading somewhere on the net (during my brief holiday vacation) that there was some tourney going on in Albany at about the same time. Anyone know anything about it? Any reports?