What a day for our Lion Cubs Under 12s… and what a team. 💙
Heading into today’s games, we knew we were up against it. With just five players available, made up of Cubs from our Under 8s, Under 10s and Under 12s groups, this was the youngest squad on the day with an average age of just 10.17. On paper, we were the underdogs… but what happened on the rink told a completely different story.
In our opening game, the Cubs showed absolutely no fear—going toe-to-toe with the top seeded team and keeping it within a single goal during the first half. With such a small squad, tired legs eventually caught up in the latter stages, but the effort and belief shown set the tone for the rest of the day.
Next up were two incredible back-to-back performances.
- A brilliant win against Trixsters
- Followed by a hard-fought draw against North Stars
That result set up a semi-final clash… once again against North Stars.
At half-time, the scoreline didn’t reflect the effort—5–0 down—but this is where the character of this team really shone through. A strong, positive message from Coach James: “We go again, 0–0. Win the second half.”
And the Cubs delivered.
They battled their way to a 4–1 second-half win, showing resilience, belief, and how far they’ve come as a group this season. The final score ended 6–4, but conceding just once in that second period told us everything we needed to know about this team.
That performance carried straight into the 3rd place play-off against Trixsters. A slow start saw the Cubs go 2–0 down early, but after a timeout and a quick reset, they came back out flying—not conceding another goal and turning the game around to win 5–2.
🏆 3rd place secured and our first Junior trophy of the season!
💪 A True Team Effort
Every single player gave everything today:
- Ellis
- Eden
- Sav
- Toby
- Zakk
And a big thank you to Hal for stepping in and helping us through those back-to-back games.
This wasn’t just about results—it was about how the Cubs played. We asked for a passing game, teamwork, and playing hockey the right way… and for us, they were the best team to watch on the day.
Mistakes happened, goals were conceded—but this was 100% a team performance full of effort, learning, and growth.
🧤 Special Mention
A huge shoutout to Lottie, our outstanding netminder, who was an absolute rock between the pipes all day. Her confidence and composure gave the whole team belief, and it didn’t go unnoticed…
🏅 Lion Cubs GOAT Award Winner, chosen by UKIHF League Head Rene.
Fully deserved. 👏
🔵 Looking Ahead
This marks the end of our Under 12s season, and what a journey it’s been. Most of this squad will be back in the same age group next season, and if today is anything to go by, the future is incredibly bright.
The progress, the teamwork, the smiles—and most importantly, the fun—are what this club is all about.
We couldn’t be prouder. 💙