With the Friendship Tournament behind them, the 2001 AAA Marlboros were eager to begin their season.

The first weekend of hockey brought about two games, both played at York University.  With two wins under their belt, one against the Red Wings and the other against the Don Mills Flyers, the Marlboro’s felt extremely motivated to keep the pendulum swinging in the right direction.

Game three was a real test of their training and knowledge brought about to this point.  The Senators came out of the gate with such a fierce desire to win that it threw the Marlboro’s off kilter for two solid periods.  Although the game resulted in a tie, the Marlboro’s came back from being down by 3 goals in the third period.  They battled back hard and fast and finished the game with a feeling of great accomplishment.  The notion that anything is possible couldn’t have been truer than it was throughout this game.

The Marlboro’s continued to practice several times a week and were given a series of drills to practice while at home.  Coach Gialedakis emphasized the importance of their commitment to their routine both on and off the ice; this included rest and nutrition.   The rest of September was a victorious one.  The Toronto Marlboro’s remained undefeated in the remaining two games of the month.  Their hard work appeared to be paying off and their motivation to remain on this path grew stronger with every workout.  Gialedakis’ motto “working on our players individual skill development, within a team environment, will be the key focal point to our coaching staff and vital to our growth.”

The Marlboro’s continued to grow as a team and develop a camaraderie that emphasized what team work was really about.  The parents and coaching staff rallied around these great boys to make the environment fun and conducive to achieving great results.  All were excited about proceeding into month two of their 2011 season.