Michael Jordan once said "Talent wins games but teamwork and intelligence wins Championships"
On Friday January 11th, the 2019 International Silver Stick Tournament began with six Peewee “C” teams vying for the championship, and for the chance to win a coveted spot for their team in the Hockey Hall of Fame. The Minto Peewee Rep team began their quest for the 2019 Silver Stick with decisive wins against the Deep River Knights and the East Lambton Eagles. But after a 5-3 loss to the Lambton Shores Predators, Minto knew that the road to winning the Silver Stick was going to be a challenge.
The final day of the tournament came after an early curfew the night before. On the coach’s orders, the team had rested themselves as much as possible before what would turn out to be a gruelling Sunday morning.
The first game to be played was the semi-final against the Stayner Cyclones. Adam MacRobbie started the team off by scoring two goals in quick succession. Stayner fired back with a goal of their own, momentarily turning it into a nail biting one-goal game. Minto kept their cool and continued with their attack plan. Quinn Habermahl proved to be relentless on the face-off, with forwards Taryn Sinclair and Clayton More working hard to keep the puck in the offensive zone. Combined with the quick cross crease saves of goaltender Taran Langella, Minto ensured Stayner blanked entirely in the second period.
As the game progressed, the Mad Dogs found their time to shine with goals scored by Cole Kuipers and Brody Kleist. Two sensational goals from the point by Logan Rogers had the crowd on their feet cheering for more. By the time Stayner realised what was happening and gave a last minute push, it was too late. Minto had won the semi-final 6-3 and were headed for the International Silver Stick Final.
With just over an hour to rest until the biggest game of their young careers, many were asking themselves whether or not Minto would have what it takes to give it their all. Not only was Minto tired, but they were also playing on larger NHL-sized ice. They had already succeeded in winning one game that morning, a back-to-back win might just be asking too much.
As game time neared, the arena filled up with fans of the home team Lambton Shores. Already having beaten Minto 5-3 the day before, and knowing that Minto had been on the ice since early that morning, many of the Predators’ fans were confident that they were going to walk away with the Stick.
Halfway through the first period, Brody Kleist opened the scoring on a pass from Reed McBeth. The crowd’s reaction was short-lived when less than a minute later Lambton Shores scored a goal on a power play.
Going into the second with the score tied 1-1, Minto knew that they had to turn up their game without giving up any more goals. Working like a true team, each player was determined to push through and do whatever was necessary to win. The Mad Dogs worked hard to maximize their scoring chances with speedy offense and superb cross ice passing.
Meanwhile, the Predators grew frustrated as every attempt at an offensive rush was broken up. Try as they might, Lambton Shores was either out-skated by Logan Rogers, beaten on the boards by Owen Schneider, or stripped of the puck by Evan DeGroot and Ethan McCarey.
When Reed McBeth scored on a pass from Adam MacRobbie, the entire team erupted in applause. Not showing any signs of slowing down, MacRobbie turned around and scored another goal for the Dogs. Minto fans gave the team a standing ovation.
But it was too early to celebrate. The team had learned from their previous game against Lambton Shores just how easy it was to give up a lead. Then with less than two minutes to go in the second, Minto gave up a penalty which put the Predators on the power play. Taking advantage of the extra attacker, Lambton Shores took control of the puck and peppered Minto goaltender Etienne Glaude with shots. The crowd looked on with anxious anticipation, but Glaude had skilfully stopped the puck and left fans on both sides in disbelief.
The third period began with an energy surge from the Mad Dogs. The Silver Stick was within their grasp, all they had to do was keep working hard. Nate Binkley did just that, seizing an opportunity to steal the puck and then scoring unassisted. Less than two minutes later, Adam MacRobbie found the back of the net for his fourth goal of the day.
At the sound of the final buzzer, and with a final score of 5-1, Mad Dogs’ fans burst into wild applause for their team. A triumphant celebration ensued on the ice, which was soon littered with the sticks, gloves and helmets of the champions. Team captain Owen Schneider was presented with the Silver Stick, and Adam MacRobbie, Brody Kleist, Ethan McCarey, and Etienne Glaude were named as International Silver Stick All-Star players.
“It’s a championship that not very many kids can say that they have won,” said Minto Mad Dogs Peewee Rep trainer Jason Schneider. “It was a lot of hockey…but they believed in themselves, dug deep, believed in the wisdom of the coaches and made us proud.”
Jane Langella