A slightly smaller number of local participants than might normally be the case, but still some hardware returning from Sault Ste Marie as five Sudbury and area teams competed at the 2010 Steel City International last weekend, capturing a pair of divisional crowns. Topping the Midget "AA" ranks were the Copper Cliff Redmen, reeling off six straight wins as the team prepares for upcoming Silver Stick International Tournament action in Sarnia this weekend.

The Redmen downed Sault Toyota 4-1, Sault Nissan 5-2, Current River 6-0 (Brett Pellarin with the shutout) and Fort William in round robin play, capturing their division. In their semi-final, the Redmen received a two-goal effort from Devin Swanson, defeating the Michigan Jaguars 4-1, with Jeremy Faganely and Jaz Perry adding one goal apiece.

The championship final pits Copper Cliff opposite Shattuck St Mary's, with the Redmen matching their 4-1 margin of victory one game earlier. This time around, it would be Jeremy Faganely leading the way with a pair of goals while Jaz Perry and Brooks Mishibinijima tally once each. Head coach Tom Faganely and company begin Silver Stick play on Friday, facing the Phoenix Polar Bears, with games against both the Northwest Chargers and Mount Clemens Wolves set for Saturday.

The 2009-2010 Copper Cliff Midget Redmen roster includes: Ryan Alexander, Michael Creasey, Jeremy Faganely, Matthew Keetch, Devyn Kirkwood, Dimitri Lacasse, Corey McEwen, Sheldon McGinn, Brooks Mishibinijima, Brett Pellarin, Jaz Perry, Trevor Saganash, Mason Savage, Brad Schroeder, Niko Suban, Devin Swanson, Matthew White and Chase Woitowich.

The team staff includes coaches Tom Faganely, Lauri Ihamaki, Jeff Perry, David Creasey, trainer Don Swanson and manager David White. A second Sudbury midget entry did not fare nearly as well as the Sudbury Rhythm & Cues Sharks failed to hit the win column, losing four straight.

The SMHA Midget "AA" squad fell to Shattuck St Mary's (6-3), Stitch King Senators (3-2), Michigan Jaguars (5-3) and Root River Rangers (5-2) and will now regroup for Nickel District Minor Hockey League play, sitting fifth in the nine team loop. The Sudbury Bantam "AA" Bulldogs joined the Redmen in the winner's circle, playing their best hockey in the playoff round, culminating with a 6-2 beating of the Westfort Maroons.

This after the team needed a tie-breaker just to emerge out of their division after posting a record of 1-1-2 in round robin play. The Dogs opened with a 1-1 tie against Cooper Dental, but followed with a convincing 5-1 win over Source for Sports. Coach Denis Michel and the lads tasted defeat for the one and only time in game three, bested 3-2 by the Sault Blackhawks before playing to a 2-2 draw with Soo's Pino's.

Thankfully, it was enough to advance the locals to a semi-final encounter, as the Bulldogs pounded the Blackhawks 6-1, avenging the loss they incurred some 24 hours earlier.

The Nickel City Sons "AAA" Peewees just narrowly missed making it three local championship winning teams, falling to the Soo A.J. Bus Lines Peewees 1-0 in the Gold medal encounter. The two teams opened preliminary round action facing each other, with the Sons prevailing 4-2 and making it back to back wins thanks to a 7-2 triumph over the Tecumseh Eagles.

Nickel City struggled Saturday morning, losing 7-6 to the Thunder Bay Kings but rebounding to knock off the Green Bay Gamblers 5-3. This would advance coach Kevin Villeneuve and company into the semi-finals, with the crew making the most of their appearance, upending Tecumseh 6-1. Finally, the Sudbury Minor Bantam "AAA" Wolves could not solve the Soo Greyhounds, losing twice to their Northern Ontario rivals, including a 5-2 loss in the championship final.

Coach Grant Cooper's troops kicked off play on a winning note, slipping past the west Michigan Warriors and thumping a second Soo entry 7-0. The Hounds doubled the Wolves 6-3 in game three, but Sudbury fought back to get the better of the Warriors for a second time, edging the Americans 2-1 in their semi-final matchup.