The Kilbank Metal Forming & Turning Jr. Stars travelled to Leamington over the weekend to compete in the Capitals Cup Challenge Tournament host by the South Point Minor Hockey Association. Strong play by all players, both offensively and defensively enabled the Stars to out score their opponents 30-7, post a perfect 5 and 0 record and win the PeeWee A division Championship!!
The Stars opened the tournament on Friday afternoon against the host South Point Capitals. Scoring just 1:01 into the game, the Stars tallied four times in the 1st period, and three times in the 2nd. In the 3rd period, the Stars worked hard to keep their opponents off the score sheet and did just that, winning the opener 7-0.
Game #2 went Friday afternoon vs. the Simcoe Warriors. Strong play by Simcoe’s goalie held the Stars to just 2 goals after the first two periods. Midway through the 3rd, Simcoe scored to cut the Stars’ lead in half. The Stars responded just 0:56 seconds later to restore their 2-goal lead, and then sealed the victory by scoring again with just 2:01 remaining to make the final 4-1.
Saturday afternoon saw the Stars facing the Petrolia Oilers for game #3. Having already played Petrolia in a pre-season exhibition game, the Stars were prepared for a close battle and the 1st period didn’t disappoint. The Stars opened the scoring just before the midway point of the frame but Petrolia tallied twice, their second coming with just 0:35 seconds remaining in the period. It appeared as though Petrolia would carry the advantage into the middle frame but with only 0:03 second remaining, the Stars notched their second to even the score 2-2. The Stars tallied twice in the 2nd and another three times in the 3rd including 2 power play markers in what turned out to be a runaway 7-2 victory.
A couple of hours of downtime and it was on to game #4 vs. the Amherstburg Stars. Scoring twice in the opening period, the Stars extended their lead to 3 -0 in the 2nd before Amherstburg scored. Another 2nd period goal for the Stars restored their 3-goal lead. Three more St. Thomas goals in the final period was too much for our opponents. The Stars final round robin game ended with another 7-2 victory and guaranteed a trip to the finals on Sunday.
With half the team returning home on Saturday night, Sunday morning greeted them with more then 2-feet of snow covering St. Thomas. The team’s third trip to a tournament finals in as many tries appeared to be in jeopardy. Thankfully, the parents rallied and those that could get through the snow, made room in their vehicles for those that couldn’t and everyone plowed their way back to Leamington for the Championship game. After suffering a 1-0 loss in the St. Thomas tournament just a month earlier, second place was not an option. Mother Nature could not hold back the Stars.
In the Championship game, Petrolia, who had placed 2nd in the round robin, earned their rematch with the Stars. Relieved that everyone was able to make it and determined to claim the tournament victory this time, the Stars took advantage of a couple of power play opportunities, scoring once in the 1st and once in the 2nd, to take a 2-0 lead into the 3rd period. With a quick intermission between periods the Stars expected their opponents to come out strong. Petrolia did exactly that, scoring twice in the first 3 minutes. Tied 2-2 the Stars would not be shaken and responded with a goal of their own less then 0:90 later, to restore a 1 goal advantage. The Stars added a power play goal midway through the period, and another, their 4th power play goal of the game, with just over 3:00 remaining to seal the 5-2 victory and take the Championship!!
Congratulations to all the players for the strong and determined efforts this weekend. A special thanks to the parents who braved the weather and road conditions on Sunday and made sure all 17 Stars made it to Leamington to claim their victory!!