Perhaps the excitement and enthusiasm of the hometown crowd was just enough to make the difference.

Hosting the first of several OVA (Ontario Volleyball Association) tournaments to make their way to Sudbury this year, the Northern Chill U15 Ice Box boys made good on their second crack at Reach Elevate from Scarborough, earning bronze medals in the process.

Seeded fifth in a field of nine teams that would meet at the Laurentian University Fieldhouse last Saturday, the Chill Ice Box split their morning affairs, falling 12-25, 23-25 to Reach Elevate before taking down the Venom Vipers from Richmond Hill, 25-23, 27-25.

Garnering more confidence as the day went on, the locals easily disposed of the Thundercats Chaos from Vaughan, 25-17, 25-14 in quarter-final action. Guaranteed the chance to be playing for a medal on their home court in the first competition of the season, the Chill gave the eventual gold-medal winning Titans Behemoth (Scarborough) all they could handle, vanquished 15-25, 20-25 in the end.

Regrouping in time for the bronze medal encounter, the Sudbury lads went the distance with Reach Elevate the second time around, posting a 16-25, 25-17, 15-11 come from behind victory.

The 2023-2024 Northern Chill U15 Ice Box lineup features Cameron Young, Blake Roy, Brett Rienguette, Caleb Pearson, Nick Mills, Clarke McNeil, Cedric Larouche, Greg Kao, Evan Hodgins, Félix Guenette, Peyton Goudreau, Maksim Rybiak, head coach Michael Rybiak and assistant coach Nathalie Goudreau.