There was a scare in Port Stanley on the opening weekend of the 2013 calendar year. Several emergency vehicles went racing down Carlow Rd in Port Stanley, as that calls went out that “PORT’s on FIRE!!!!!!!!” However, the excitement dissipated when it was realized that those calls were happening at the Brant Sports Complex as the Port Stanley Jr Sailors LL2 team competed in the Paris Wolfpack Tournament. The team remained ‘on fire’ throughout the tournament, ending with an impressive run in the Semi-Final & Final that saw the team capture the Tournament Championship on Saturday evening.
The Wolfpack Tournament, with a points-per-period scoring system, began on Thursday afternoon as the Jr Sailors squad faced off against one the host teams in the Paris LL2 team. Port Stanley put their stamp on the game early and often, as Morgan Palmer netted an impressive 4 goals on route to a 9-2 opening game victory. Ryan Daer, Corson Hardwick, Nate Carmichael, Ryan Meth, and Kayla Benwell rounded out the scoring as the Jr Sailors took 10 out of 10 points in the opening game. This impressive performance also began the ‘battle-cry’ for the tournament…Who’s on Fire? Port’s on Fire!
Friday afternoon, Port Stanley faced off against a strong Beverly Bandits team, who sits on top of the Grand River Local League standings. The Jr Sailors ended up on the wrong side of a couple of bad bounces, as Beverly capitalized on 2 goalmouth scrums on route to a 3-1 victory. However, in the loss the Jr Sailors secured a 2pts by winning the 2nd period. That period was won on the strength of Ryan Daer’s 2nd goal of the tournament. This lone Port Stanley goal was a picture perfect display of passing, from a strong line combination as Evan Spangenberg & Luke Ainsworth drew assists on Ryan’s goal. The 2 points gained left the Jr Sailors with 12pts after 2 games.
On Friday evening, following a healthy team dinner, the squad reassembled at the arena for their final round-robin game of the tournament, needing at least 7pts to secure a spot in the semi-finals. The opponent was a familiar one, as they squared off against the same Mt Brydges Gold squad that they faced in exhibition play on Dec 1st. Ryan Meth responded well to a slight line shuffle by the coaching staff, netting a Hat Trick in a 3-0 victory. While Ryan’s goals were the offensive spark, it was the tremendous effort of the ‘Blueline Crew’ and goalies Jack Lorch & Peter Vanbroekhoven that helped the team secure 9pts in the game. Blueline Crew members, Kayla Benwell, Morgan Palmer, Wesley Geerlinks, Jess Szusz, Pernell Pasch, and Corson Hardwick, played very solid in helping Jack & Peter to their first shutout of the tournament. The Jr Sailors finished the round-robin portion of the tournament with 21pts, good enough to secure 3rd place overall, and a spot in the Semi-Finals on Saturday against the 2nd place finisher.
Upon arriving at the rink on Saturday afternoon, the Jr Sailors learned that their Semi-Final opponent would be the same Beverly Bandits team that had lost 3-1 to on Friday in round-robin play. Determined to have a more positive outcome this time, Port Stanley got off to a strong start as Evan Spangenberg converted a Ryan Meth pass only 2mins into the game for an early 1-0 lead. However, Beverly tied the game late in the 1st period. The game featured outstanding efforts by Luke Ainsworth, Aaron Brouwer, and Steven Calles, as they took on the task of trying to shut down the 2 key offensive weapons from the Bandits. With this defensive focus, the teams remained tied until the end of regulation as both teams traded excellent scoring chances. However, Jr Sailors’ combo of Jack Lorch & Peter Vanbroekhoven, along with the Beverly goalie, were equal to the task, and put on an impressive goaltending duel as the teams went into overtime. The first OT (5mins of 4v4) ended with the teams still tied, despite powerplay opportunities for both teams. The teams continued the back-and-forth battle throughout the second OT (3mins of 3v3), but despite several excellent scoring chances, no team was able to solve the other team’s strong goaltending. The third OT (2mins of 2v2) saw the Jr Sailors take another penalty, giving Beverly a 3-2 opportunity. However, late in the OT period, goalie Peter Vanbroekhoven found himself on a 2-on-none breakaway against the top two Beverly players. In heroic fashion, Peter saved not 1, but 2 amazing scoring chances to keep the game tied, and force a decisive shootout. The 5-player shootout began with Nate Carmichael sliding the puck through the Beverly goalie’s legs for a 1-0 lead. Peter Vanbroekhoven continued his stellar play by stopping the first Beverly shooter. Ryan Meth, who was stopped on several breakaway attempts during the game, made no mistake with the 2nd Port Stanley shot as he slid a back-hand past the Beverly goalie for an early 2-0 shootout lead. Beverly was finally able to solve Peter with their 2nd shot, to make the score 2-1. Things remained tight as Morgan Palmer and Liam Hepburn were both stopped on their shootout attempts, but Peter bailed the team out with 2 more tremendous shootout saves. Kayla Benwell then stepped onto the ice for the 5th Port Stanley shot, holding a 2-1 advantage, and with a chance to end the game. Kayla had played an outstanding game, and was a key driving force in keeping the game tight through regulation and all three OT periods. She then put an emphatic end to the game by roofing an unstoppable shot just under the crossbar, sending the Jr Sailors onto the Championship Final.
After a few hours of rest, the Jr Sailors marched into the Championship Final against a Thornton Tigers team who struggled early in the tournament, but had played an impressive SF to beat the first place Delhi team. The Tigers were another strong opponent, as they sit atop the standings of their regular season Simcoe Division. Kayla Benwell, sporting the “C” for the final game, continued her strong play, as she setup the first goal of the game. Her point shot found its way through to the goalie, with the rebound landing onto the stick of Liam Hepburn who deftly buried the shot for a 1-0 lead late in the 1st period. Goalie Jack Lorch started the game, and continued the strong Port Stanley goaltending, turning away several scoring chances to keep the Tigers off the board midway through the game. Jack held onto the shutout and then passed it over to Peter Vanbroekhoven, who came in and continued his very strong play. This excellent goaltending, coupled with the outstanding defensive efforts of Kayla Benwell, Jess Szusz, Morgan Palmer, Wesley Geerlinks, and Corson Hardwick, held the Tigers’ offense in check. Each member of the ‘Blueline Crew’ stepped up their game in the Semi-Final and Final, as one of their key members, Pernell Pasch, was unable to play do to sickness. Late in the 3rd period Luke Ainsworth finished off a strong tournament by potting a short-handed goal to stretch the lead to 2-0. The game ended in a 2-0 victory for the Port Stanley Jr Sailors, as they celebrated a collective team victory in their biggest game of the season.
It was a tremendous tournament for the whole team. All the players gave an outstanding effort throughout the weekend, and the coaching staff did an excellent job of motivating the kids, and making the necessary adjustments to help secure the victory. We look forward to the remainder of the season, and hearing the cries of “Who’s on Fire?? Port’s on Fire!!!”.