Right from the outset of the season it was
clear that we had a group of boys and coaches that would come together and have
the winning dynamic to make for a fun and successful year – and so it was, as
they capped off a stellar 2015/16 season with a well-deserved Championship at
the Oshawa March Classic and an impressive 30-12-4 overall record.
A solid regular season got the boys to a 19-7-2 record heading into the playoffs in third place. The playoffs were full of the usual trials and tribulations, with some hard fought battles leading to victory mixed in with some old fashioned upsets. In the end, the boys lost out to the blatant bias of the officiating in two key games that was reminiscent of the 1993 series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and L.A. Kings (that one’s for Jim). Nevertheless, the boys took the inequity with their heads held high – and even more determination to do well in their last tournament of their season together.
The Sailors headed to Oshawa on March 11th and faced off first against Sturgeon Lake with their first game of the tournament and a solid 3-0 win. On Friday night the boys, coaches and their families all enjoyed an exciting OHL game between the Oshawa Generals and North Bay Battalion that ended with a 2-1 overtime win for the Generals. It was great to see all the boys sitting together and having such a great time cheering on the Generals and even flirting with the older girls in the stands.
The Saturday games of the tournament had the boys paired against the Newcastle Stars and the stacked Oshawa Kingsview team. The Sailors faired well against Newcastle and landed their second win of the tournament with a 3-1 score. After a long wait to their second game of the day, the boys fought a hard battle against the much bigger Oshawa team, but fell short of the win (but did earn Curtis the nickname ‘Staples’). The outcome of the first three games secured the Sailors in the B Championship against the equally matched Storington Stingers who were within 1 point of Goderich in the tournament standings. The boys were firing on all cylinders (with a shot of octane) from the first to last second of the final game leading to a decisive 6-0 victory - and the Championship! Stars of the tournament were awarded to Justin, Adrien - and 2 for a very deserving Bryson for his goaltending!
The boys formed a great team this year with Adrien, Curtis, Kylen and Rory as our fearless defensive line and snipers from the point! The offense lines of Logan, Justin, Caden and Carter, Ethan and Evan were spectacular in setting-up each other and closing the deal against the opposing teams. Bryson was our strength between the pipes and stood on his head when it mattered. A special mention also goes out again to our AP’s Nick, Aidan, Grayson, Wade and Joey for helping out the team this season.
On behalf of the boys and their parents, I also want to put out a big thank-you and appreciation to our amazing coaches Jim, Derek, Lee, Brian, Kevin - and all the parent volunteers who worked hard to make it a great season for the guys.
Boys, you should be very proud of an outstanding season of hockey. I’ve said it a few times in past seasons, but I’ll say it again - you played with heart, had a great time as a team - and made this year of hockey memorable. Scores are soon forgotten - this is what really counts in the end.