PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONS

Ending off an unforgettable season with a Provincial Championship Win!

The U11BB Ayr Rockets took home Gold this past weekend at the OWHA Provincial Championship Tournament.  An incredible victory following an undefeated weekend filled with hard work, dedication and even a dramatic comeback.

After two heartbreaking silver medal finishes this season, the team was highly motivated  to kick it into high gear for the Provincial Championships.  Throughout the regular season, the Rockets demonstrated their tenacity and talent while exhibiting a strong team dynamic which set them up for success leading into the weekend.

After a tight race for first place in their playoff division, the team finished second overall against a top ranked Owen Sound team who they battled with all season long.  From that playoff elimination in early March all efforts turned to preparing for a strong Provincial Championship Tournament run which they executed seamlessly.

Their first game of the weekend was against a tough Ancaster team.  After nearly two periods of play they were tied 1-1 (Brinkleigh Eby goal).  With 1 minute left in the second period Marie Mintz scored right before the buzzer to bring them to a 2-1 lead heading into the third.  Ancaster was hungry to tie it up the entire period but with 33 seconds left and an empty netter goal from Grace Mattingley the win was secured with a 3-1 score.  The Rockets goalie Ava Bisch held strong that game between the pipes, letting in only 1 goal with impressive help from defenders Eva Tomlin, Kenzie Perriman, Shay Faubert Tetreault, and Valerie Brunkard.

Heading into game 2 the team knew they had to battle against a top ranked Peterborough team.  With 3 minutes into the game The Rockets were down 1-0.  A quick return goal from Sydney Porter tied it up in the first.  Four minutes later Shay Faubert Tetreault set the tone with an impressive goal from the point.  Both second period goals were assisted by the youngest player on the team, Avery Burgess.  With the score 2-1 The Rockets knew they needed to seal the deal with a stronger lead.  Lily Gibb and Grace Mattingley did just that by each scoring in the third giving the Rockets a 4-1 win.

Game 3 on Saturday was an impressive comeback story.  Going into the second period The Rockets were down 3-1 with a goal assisted by Brinkleigh Eby to Lily Gibb.  Quickly into the second period Grace Mattingley scored (assisted by Valerie Brunkard)  but the Orangeville Tigers quickly returned the goal 24 seconds later bringing the score to 4-2.  Two minutes into the third period Lily Gibb scored which seemed to shift the tide in the Rockets favour. Refusing to quit, they staged an incredible comeback with five additional goals scored that period which secured the Rockets place in the semi finals of the tournament with a final score of 8-5 (additional goals scored by by Marie Mintz, Lily Gibb, Harper Lazarevich, Grace Mattingley & Brinkleigh Eby with some impressive assisting by Kenzie Perriman & Shay Faubert Tetreault)

Semi Final Sunday brought an early morning game against the Toronto Leaside Wildcats.  The Rockets had faced the Wildcats earlier in the season and knew they were up against some tough competition.  It was a nailbiter of a game but the Rockets finished on top with a 1-0 win (scored by Lily Gibb) to earn their spot in the Provincial Final!

The Provincial Final could have been a tense pressure filled moment for the Rockets - but the team had a miraculous collective calm heading into their final game of the season.  After a scoreless first period, the momentum quickly started to shift with a goal by both Brinkleigh Eby and Sydney Porter (Eva Tomlin, Harper Lazarevich, and Avery Burgess assisting) giving the Rockets a slight lead prior to the ice flood before the third period.  In the third Grace Mattingley set the tone by scoring 2 short handed goals in 22 seconds with the final goal scored by Brinkleigh Eby to seal the 5-0 win!  Ava Bisch held strong in net by having back to back shutouts on Finals Sunday!  No championship team could be complete without a strong leadership team which consisted of Ryan Gibb (head coach), Jeff Mattingley, Darcy Mintz, Joel Perriman (assistant coaches), and Crystal Lazarevich (trainer).

Team photo from left to right: Avery Burgess, Eva Tomlin, Sydney Porter, Shay Faubert-Tetreault, Lily Gibb, Brinkleigh Eby, Grace Mattingley,  Marie Mintz, Ava Bisch, Kenzie Perriman, Harper Lazarevich, Valerie Brunkard

Coaching staff from left to right: Crystal Lazarevich, Joel Perriman, Jeff Mattingley, Ryan Gibb, Darcy Mintz