Mar 28, 2014 | Dave Duncan | 2650 views
2013-14 Bantam AE Sailors Bring Home OMHA SILVER
Before I start my last article, I want to thank the parents, grandparents, siblings, friends, and fans who traveled to Ilderton tonight to cheer on the boys. It was incredible to see and hear as many Sailor fans as Ilderton fans. It made me even more proud to be a Sailor.
I am disappointed to write this, not because we lost the OMHA Championship, but because it means the season is over, and so is my association with a great group of young men. I am extremely proud of how hard you guys worked, how far you came, and how you represented the team, organization, and town of Goderich. Now for the easy part.
Friday March 28th, the Marcc Apparel Bantam AE Sailors were in Ilderton to face the defending champion Jets in the deciding game 5 of the OMHA Finals. The first period was a seesaw battle, both teams had several scoring chances, and while Tanner was an absolute beast in net for the Sailors, the boys just kept sliding the puck by the Jets net. After the first period, the game remained scoreless. The Jets opened the score mid way through the second period, when a bouncing puck barely cleared the line. Shortly after the Jets took the lead, Daniel and Braeden pressured the Ilderton defense, and while they pushed the puck toward the net, a Jet defender pushed the net off. The referee signaled 'no goal', and somehow no penalty. The second ended with the Jets up 1-0. The Jets took advantage of a giveaway at the Sailor blueline, and scored a short-handed goal a minute into the third, to extend the lead to 2-0. With five minutes remaining, the Sailors were on another powerplay, but our defender got tangle up with a Jet penalty killer, and the Jets captain had a clear path to the net, and the Jets had a big 3-0 lead. The Sailors kept it positive on the bench, and showed they had no quit. A minute after the Jets scored, Brady slid the puck across to Kody, who fired a low shot at the net, that Braeden deflected by the Jets goalie. With just under two minutes remaining in the game, the Sailors pulled Tanner, and as the puck entered the Ilderton end, the linesman blew the play down, and claimed the Sailors had put the extra man on early. The referee looked around, and much to the linesman's surprise, the extra player still wasn't on the ice. The referee counted, and sure enough we still only had 5 skaters on the ice. The linesman claimed "I counted six," and the Sailor bench said "count again, we never even got a chance to put the 6th on. There are still only 5 out there." The referee blew his whistle, and called for a faceoff at centre ice, forcing the Sailors to return Tanner to the net, and penalizing the Sailors 60 feet of ice. The boys just couldn't get the puck back to the net again, and the final score was 3-1 Ilderton.
Ilderton wins the best of five OMHA finals, 3 games to 2. The Marcc Apparel Bantam AE Sailors are the OMHA Finalists for 2013-14. The banner will fly high at the Maitland Recreational Centre. Hold your heads high young men, you are not 'just AE' players, you are the first GMHI team to make a full OMHA Finals in over three decades. Be Proud of yourselves, like we are proud of you!