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Bradford boys contribute to all star ball hockey team’s success

Local Bradford boys play for South Simcoe all-star ball hockey team in provincial tournament

A group of local Bradford boys made memories that will last a lifetime earlier this month when they were selected to play for the South Simcoe ball hockey all-star team (ages six to eight).

Adam Ball, Gavin Galbraith, Colton Saunders, Gabriel Miolla, and Logan Da Silva played for the all-star squad made up of players selected from four teams in Bradford, Barrie, and Innisfil.

The South Simcoe all-stars participated in the provincial tournament in Milton from July 8 to 10, losing in the semi-finals to finish top four in Ontario.

After playing in a round robin, the South Simcoe team placed second in their pool and advanced to the AAA finals (the highest of the three finals).

Colton’s mother, Jessica, says the boys were proud to represent Bradford and that it was an amazing experience for the kids at such a young age. Along with the fun of playing, the experience of getting the swag, hanging at the hotel and swimming, having a BBQ, and watching movies together made the whole trip that much more memorable.  

“They all got jerseys and hats to represent South Simcoe and they were just so excited,” said Jessica. “My son is only six years old, and he was in net and as a six-year-old going to the provincials, he was just over the moon. Being such young boys, being part of the team was so exciting for them.”

Being able to play in a high-level tournament at such a young age has fostered the boys love of hockey.

“This was his (Colton’s) first year playing ball hockey,” Jessica explained. “He played ice hockey last winter and this was his first year playing ball hockey and the boys just bonded like crazy. It was such a great team and a great group of boys.”

This also gave the boys their first taste of competitive sports.

“It was their first time really experiencing playing with refs and rules,” said Jessica. “In normal hockey at their age it’s more like shinny, so this was the first time they were playing other towns. The parents were fully into it too because there’s actual competition between towns. The boys were all so into having full on competition for the first time.”

Playing sports can be an opportunity to make lifelong friendships, and Jessica sees this as an early step towards a love of sports and lasting relationships.

“I played competitive sports growing up and I told my son to this day my best friends were all from my sports teams,” she said. “For them to have an experience like this is just so exciting for them. The five of them are all good buddies now.”