Crescent’s U14 Hockey Team Tours Scandinavia for World Juniors

Crescent’s U14 hockey team travelled to Sweden, Denmark, and Norway over the Winter Break for two weeks of exploring and (of course) hockey. Coaches Vince Volpe and Joe Johnson spent nearly a year and a half planning with assistance from the boys’ parents. “There was not one late bus; there was not one problem,” says Volpe. “The entire excursion from the beginning to the end was perfect, and the boys made lifelong memories.”

During their trip, the Crescent boys played a handful of fun, competitive exhibition games against local competitive club teams from the cities they visited. They also watched a lot of fast-paced hockey at the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. The sold-out Canada vs Sweden game was a highlight, despite Canada’s 2–0 loss, thanks to the fierce competition and excitement of the crowds. The group attended a double-header semi-final, with Sweden winning game one and the U.S. winning in game two, and then watched the fight for gold between Sweden and the U.S., with the latter defeating host Sweden 6–2. 

On their last day in Gothenburg, coaches Volpe and Johnson handed out custom awards to each boy and a special Crescent/Canada pin to commemorate the trip. “Each award was carefully crafted to reflect the players' humorous personalities,” says Volpe. In turn, the players gave their coaches a Malmö jersey they had signed. 

With ten memorable days behind them, the group departed for the airport, believing the excitement to be ending; instead, they bumped into the U.S. National Junior Team, whose winning game they had watched the night before. The team graciously took photos and signed sticks for the excited Crescent students. While he still wished for a Team Canada win, Volpe said, “It couldn't have been a better ending.”

Mr. Volpe started a blog which was updated throughout the trip. Read Mr. Volpe's blog.