The Rayside-Balfour U18 Icecats reeled off five straight wins to take home the banner at the Sensplex Holiday Houseleague Tournament in Nepean earlier this month.

With victories over the Aylmer Gladiateurs, Leitrim Hawks and Kanata Mustangs, the local NEHL (Northeast House League) squad earned a bye to the semi-finals.

There, they would meet the HRS Hawks from Québec, their defensive acumen coming in handy as they carved out a 3-0 win, marking their second of three straight shutouts to close out tournament play.

That run would see the Cats score twice in a 19-second span near the end of the second period, the goals making all of the difference in a 2-0 gold medal winning effort against the Kawartha Coyotes.

Offensively, the Rayside reps were paced by the trio of Lucas Lessard (5G-2A), Connor Blackburn (5G-1A) and Jack Landry (4G-2A) while the netminding tandem of Nathan Cormier and P.J. Brisson surrendered just two goals in total while combining to post three shutouts.

The balance of the team roster brings together Joshua Desaulnier, Sebastien Drouin, Keegan Fowler, Addison Bergeron, Dawson Fex, Ayden Turgeon, Zachary Cribari, Jacob Lamoureux, Jack Yorston and Chloe Charbonneau.