Written by Barry Culmer
Photograph courtesy of GAME Action Photography
Snow squalls, the Olympic flame and endless hockey - the 23rd Kincardine Silver Stick had it all. For the Kincardine Peewee Kinucks it had everything!
Playing their group games in Tiverton, the boys opened up against the Walkerton Capitals with a comfortable 7-0 win. Game two was a tightly contested game against the Tavistock Titans that ended as a 1-1 tie. The Glanbrook Rangers from Caledonia provided the opposition in the final group game, Kincardine scoring a couple of late goals in the third for a 3-1 victory. The Kinucks and Tavistock tied for the lead in the group stage with five points apiece with Tavistock taking first place on goal difference.
Still in Tiverton, the drama then began with a rollercoaster of a game in the semi-finals against the strongly fancied Ayr Flames. The Kinucks got off to a flying start with a goal from Ethan Long just 60 seconds in. A second Long goal saw the boys seemingly cruising comfortably at 2-0 at the end of the first period and for most of the second. But an Ayr goal late in the period set the nerves on edge and proved to be the platform for a barnstorming third period. Kincardine’s game unravelled in the middle four minutes of the period with Ayr scoring three unanswered goals for a 4-2 lead with six minutes left on the clock. With two and a half minutes left, Ethan Long got his hat trick and it was game on again! With players, coaches, parents and supporters going through every emotion possible, sniper Ethan Skinner grabbed the equalising goal 56 seconds from the horn for a dramatic 4-4 tie. Following a Joey Doyle save to keep them in the game, the cheer could almost be heard in Kincardine when with just 15 seconds left in the first overtime period, Garret McFadden fired home the winner!
So it was back to Kincardine for the final against Tavistock who had put out the Listowel Cyclones in their semi-final. Could the final be even more of a nail biter than the semi? You bet! With AC/DC and Queen rocking out around the arena, Kincardine started strongly. But they were foiled by excellent Tavistock goaltending and found themselves a goal behind at the end of the first and 2-0 down early in the second. Supporters nerves were jangling again but this is the just the kind of mountain our boys love to climb. After a great Ethan Primeau save on a Tavistock breakaway halfway through the period, a Kurt Dunsbier goal brought it back to 2-1 six minutes from the end of the second. That pumped the boys for the third, which saw some exciting end to end hockey. Kincardine pushed hard and finally Scott McFarlan tied it up half way through with an excellent goal. Both teams had more chances but the clock ran down for a 2-2 tie. Overtime again! True to form, the come back kids dug deep and an excited Davidson Centre home crowd were on their feet when game MVP Brett Burrows rifled home three and a half minutes from time for the 3-2 win and the Regional Silver Stick Championship. The whole squad, including Shane Vollmer, Sam Culmer, Marshall Smith and Dalton Hayes in addition to the goalies and scorers already mentioned, displayed great teamwork throughout the tournament, digging deep for the victory through strong checking, puck winning and setting up of plays. Garret McFadden was tournament MVP for the Peewee Division. Teammate Evan Brown was away.
Great work boys and great coaching by Brian Royle, Lou Battaino, Curtis Chaput and Dane Dunlop! The team now goes to the International Silver Stick in Port Huron, Michigan from 21 to 24 January.