Steve Robinson’s blueprint for success, that includes a pre-season weekend retreat, continues to produce for the Seafair Midget A1 Islanders.
The hosts made it four straight titles at the 13th annual Seafair Icebreaker Rep Hockey Tournament, capping a perfect long weekend run with a 9-2 victory over Coquitlam in Monday’s championship game at the Richmond Ice Centre.
The Islanders are coming off a memorable campaign that concluded at the provincial tier one championships last March. Robinson has five players back from that squad but suggests winning is not always about the talent you have to work with.
“I have really tried to impress upon a culture with the team,” explained Robinson, now in his fifth season behind the bench. “In the college sports program thing, guys come and go but you have got to maintain the identity of the team and the culture. Personally, I believe that is the key thing.
“There is now an expectation every year even though the talent may not be the same. You just find a way (to win) and that’s the vibe I get with these guys.”
The Islanders prepared for the Icebreaker and the season ahead like they have for the past four seasons — spend a few days in Princeton where the team takes over a lodge, conducts a couple of practices and plays an exhibition game.
“It was my second year here and we were looking for something to do since we can’t start the year with a trip because we have to be here for this tournament,” said Robinson. “It’s basically a team retreat where we roll out some swag for the guys too, like new gloves, to make it a little extra special. They seem to really galvanize as a group and every time we have come back we have won this tournament.”
Hoping for a strong challenge, some traditional provincial heavyweights were invited to this year’s event, including Kelowna and the North Shore Winter Club.
The Islanders rolled to round-robin wins over Coquitlam (7-4), Juan de Fuca (8-2) and Langley (9-0), before playoff victories against Port Coquitlam (5-2) and Kelowna (4-3). Coquitlam surprised North Shore 5-2 in the other semi-final to earn another shot at Seafair.
“The final was a little anti-climatic,” added Robinson. “The first game against them was back and forth. Really, there is a lot of parity in game today. It comes down to which team plays the best together and improves the most. That’s in our control.
“We had no business beating a team that bad. We just have better chemistry right now, moved the puck well and that’s what can happen.”
With the bar set high of winning the provincial championship, the Islanders hope to get there via several more tournaments, including stops in Kelowna, Abbotsford, Prince George and hopefully the Richmond International. The locals will now turn their attention back to tiering play where they are virtually a lock to be in the top flight.
Seafair nearly came away with from the Icebreaker with the Bantam Tier One championship too.
Russ Weber’s squad dropped a 6-3 decision to Juan de Fuca in the gold medal game after going 4-1 over the weekend. The Islanders toppled Abbotsford 4-1 in the quarter-finals, then defeated Semiahmoo in the semis.
Seafair also had a close call in the Pee Wee Tier 2 Division, reaching the final before falling 5-4 to Campbell River. The locals had earned a spot in the gold medal game with an 8-2 win over Cowichan Valley.
The Islanders Pee Wee A1 team saw its title run end with a 4-2 semi-final loss to eventual champion Burnaby Winter Club.
In the Atom Division, Seafair reached the Tier 2 final before dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to Juan de Fuca. The Islanders had slipped past rival Richmond Minor 3-1 in the semis to advance.
In Atom Tier One play, Seafair went undefeated in pool play but was surprised 4-3 by Juan de Fuca in the semi-finals — a team it 5-1 earlier in the day.
The Islanders’ title hopes in the Bantam Tier 2 Division ended with a tough 5-4 semi-final loss to eventual Saanich. It was the team’s only defeat of the tournament.
Seafair also had a close call in the Pee Wee Tier 2 Division, reaching the final before falling 5-4 to Campbell River. The locals had earned a spot in the gold medal game with an 8-2 win over Cowichan Valley.
The Islanders Pee Wee A1 team saw its title run end with a 4-2 semi-final loss to eventual champion Burnaby Winter Club.
In the Atom Division, Seafair reached the Tier 2 final before dropping a 3-2 heartbreaker to Juan de Fuca. The Islanders had slipped past rival Richmond Minor 3-1 in the semis to advance.
In Atom Tier One play, Seafair went undefeated in pool play but was surprised 4-3 by Juan de Fuca in the semi-finals — a team it defeated 5-1 earlier in the day.
The Islanders’ title hopes in the Bantam Tier 2 Division ended with a tough 5-4 semi-final loss to eventual champion Saanich.
