Competition was exactly what the Nickel City Minor Bantam "AA" Jr Sons were seeking, and competition was exactly what awaited the local team at the International Silver Stick tournament in Newmarket this past weekend.
After earning their berth out of regionals only by virtue of an overtime win over a top-ranked provincial opponent in the form of the North York Knights, coach Rick Poitras and company faced a whole slew of similarly skilled opponents in their most recent southern Ontario trek.
The Jr Sons opened play late Thursday evening, facing the top ranked American team in this bracket, dropping a tough 2-1 decision to the Flint Jr Firebirds, with Miguel Renaud burying the only goal for the locals.
Still not a whole lot of breathing room in game two as Owen McKeachnie pitched the shutout and Renaud makes it stand up in a 1-0 win over the York Mills Rangers. The offensive floodgates opened up in their final pool contest as Nickel City doubled the Goulding Park Rangers 6-3.
Renaud maintained his red hot scoring pace, registering a hat trick, with Carson Crane, Billy Biedermann and Kohen Crane adding one goal apiece. A cross-over game would keep the Jr Sons on the winning side of the ledger, slipping past the Newmarket Redmen 3-2 on goals from Renaud, Carson Crane and Mathieu Guillet.
A pair of one-goal games in the semi-finals showcased show how much parity existed in this particular grouping of Silver Stick talent as the gold medal winning Orchard Park (Buffalo) United crew trimmed the northern Ontario lads 2-1 (Nickel City goal by Cameron Allen), moving on to defeat the Vaughan Panthers 5-3 in the championship affair.
More good news for the Jr Sons from the weekend as team captain Carson Crane captured the "Skills Competition" during his time in Newmarket. Still ahead, another extraordinary experience for the teenagers, taking part in the Gene Harrington Falls Classic from February 22nd to the 24th (2019).
The event is one of many that takes advantage of the Buffalo RiverWorks facility, allowing players to enjoy what amounts to the equivalent of an "outdoor classic game".
