In talking to Panthers coach Taylor Bradbury, he felt like at long last, this would be his year.  But after they were stunned by the Predators in the 1st round and saw themselves one block away from being gone in the playoffs, Bradbury did what he does best: he rallied his players.  His players stepped up and knocked off every team in their path on the way to another finals appearance against a very familiar foe: The Rattlers.  Coach Katie Rippberger was making her 3rd finals appearance in the last 4 years.  The Rattlers were one goal away last year from having made it 4 appearances in a row. That year, they were stopped by the Panthers.  This year, they hoped to exact some revenge.  They found themselves one hockey shot away from another title.  However, the Panthers had other ideas.  Having stopped every shot in a shoot out, Colton Sloat of the Panthers saw his teammate, Randy White, elevate him and help secure the Panthers' 1st game and force the "what if" game.  Now each and every time, the Panthers usually force this game and find themselves on the losing end.  This was different year.  This time, White's shot finds the net again and lifted the Panthers to their first ever title.  Coach Bradbury said that he waited a long time to hear what he finally heard "The Panthers are the 2010 Camp Champions."  Congrats Taylor...it was a long time coming.

The Junior Finals saw a very familiar match-up...Hornets vs. Eagles.  This was the early prediction.  Hornets had knocked off the Eagles in the main bracket and the Eagles came through in the 2nd Chance.  In another hockey game, everyone figured the Eagles' offense was going to be too strong and that the Eagles would find themselves crowned champs after 2 very strong games.  However, the biggest surprises come in the smallest packages.  For the entire duration of the camp, Coach Matt Heden of the Hornets said that Natthan Mesfin was not the easiest kid to train but was getting better. All that patience and effort paid off as Mesfin scored the only goal of the championship match; a sweet backhand that found the top of the net.  That was all the offense the Hornets would need as the defense stiffened up to support Mesfin and shut down the Eagles, handing the Hornets their second title in 3 years.  The Hornets are also the only franchise in either division to win 3 titles with their current name. 

This year's camp had its ups and downs.  However, again, another very successful year.  This year saw growth beyond what anyone could have imagined.  Though sometimes, we don't win, when we put forth our best effort, we never lose. Remember that and always know that God is with you wherever you are and that He loves you more than you can ever realize.  We serve a big God and He has big plans for each and every one of us.  Keep God before you always and you will always come out a winner.  God bless all!