The weekend of March 26-28 found the 17U Fusion Girls traveling to Oshawa to participate in the 2nd annual Beast of the East National Elite Invitational tournament hosted by the Durham Attach 17U & 18U girls.  Top teams from Ontario with a few from Manitoba took to the court for this 3-day tournament that proved to be a great warm up for the upcoming Provincial championships.

The 17U Fusion Girls took to the court for their first match on Friday evening against frequent opponents Element.  Whether it was the late start time or just tournament jitters, the girls came out shaky, losing in a quick two games.  Disappointed with their play, the girls turned in early and spent the next morning reviewing game video.

It must have had an effect because when the girls took to the court for their match against host Durham Attack 17U, they were a different team.  A 'little' service run from Emilie led the girls to a 25-3 win in the first game.  The second was a little closer but still a strong win for Fusion.  Next the girls took on the team ranked number 1 going into Provincials - Forest City Green.  The girls came out stong, taking the match in 2 games, assuring them of second place in their pool.  The final match of the day saw us pitted against another frequent opponent - the KW Predators 17U.  This match didn't count towards our pool standing but gave us another look at a strong Predators squad that we're sure to face at RIM Park.

Sunday was playoff day.  Finishing second in our pool saw us matched with one of the 16U teams in the tournament - DRVC 16U.  The 17U Fusion girls came out ready to play, taking this close match in three games to allow them to continue in the tournament.  The next match was against the 16U Predators - a very strong 16U team that finished first in their pool after Saturday's play.  The girls came out tough and were keeping the games close but lost the match in two.

All in all, the tournament was good preparation for Provincials.  It helped us to see what is working well and what we need to work on as we get closer to the tournament. 

As always, we'd like to thank Coaches Cathy, Linden and Jessica for their patience and support.  We'd also like to thank the 16U Girls Red team for stopping by Saturday on their way to their tournament to cheer us on.  Last, but never least, we'd like to thank our parents for being there to support us.