Jan 25, 2015 | rmartin | 1011 views
Back to Back International Silver Sticks for South Bruce Bantams
The boys from South Bruce were on a mission this weekend to defend the International Silver Stick title from a year ago.
After 5 hard fought games, several injuries and some lady luck on their side, this year's version of the South Bruce Bantams have come home as 2015 International Silver Stick Bantam C Champions.
Eight teams were competing in this year's event from Stayner, St. George, Lucan, North Middlesex, Petrolia, Valley Storm, Lambton Shores and South Bruce.
South Bruce started the tournament on Friday afternoon facing off against Valley Storm from the Ottawa District. The Storm came out fast and furious while the South Bruce boys spent most the first period adjusting to the quicker pace. South Bruce would play on their heels for most of the second period, but never gave up any quality scoring chances until the Storm capitalized immediately after a power play and would take a 1-0 lead heading in to the intermission. Not to be outdone, the South Bruce troops regrouped for the 3rd period and would create some offense finally denting the twine at the 9:49 mark and it would stay 1-1 for the remainder of regulation time. Overtime provided some drama with South Bruce getting called for Too Many Men early in the extra frame, but the boys in black were able to effectively kill off the penalty. Neither team was budging until South Bruce would break free late in the game and send a shot towards the Storm net. The Storm goalie struggled with the shot and South Bruce would knock the rebound out of mid-air in to the Storm net with 5.2 seconds left on the clock for the all important first victory of the tournament.
Next up was the North Middlesex Stars and this game proved to be just as tough as the first. South Bruce would get on the board first followed by the Stars and that would sequence would repeat itself again in the second period. The score remained 2-2 at the end of regulation, so back to overtime for the second straight game. After a couple of shifts, South Bruce would race down the right side, avoid a check deep in the zone, carry the puck behind the net and find the open man in front for a great OT goal. Final score was 3-2 in favour of South Bruce and another well-deserved victory.
The two wins for South Bruce in round robin play guaranteed them a spot in Sunday's semi-final, but they had to play Petrolia on Saturday night for their third round robin game. Petrolia could not muster up any offense against the South Bruce boys and the local lads would cruise to a 2-0 victory.
With a 3-0 record, South Bruce would earn first place in their pool and crossover to play the St. George Generals in Sunday's semi-final. The other semi-final saw Valley Storm defeat Lucan 2-1 in OT.
South Bruce came out strong in the semi's and would score on the first shift of the game. From centre ice, a wrist shot would beat the Generals goalie high on the blocker side and it was an early 1-0 lead. South Bruce would score on 2 more nice passing plays in the second frame to take a 3-0 lead in to the intermission. The Generals, desperate for some offense, would finally score to narrow the gap to 3-1, but that is where it ended and South Bruce was heading back to the finals for a second straight year.
A rematch between Valley Storm and South Bruce was anybody's game. The Storm travelled 8 hours to Forest for the weekend's tournament and were not going to go down without a fight. South Bruce started out strong from the opening face-off, but it was the Storm who would score on a penalty shot with 1:40 left in the first period. After some positive reinforcement, the South Bruce boys would return the favor and even the score 1-1 with 31 seconds left in the first. The second period saw the local lads carry the momentum and score twice before Valley Storm would respond with two of their own. Feeling the effects of the injury bug, the South Bruce boys dug deep and scored with 5.5 seconds left in the second to carry a 4-3 lead in to the intermission.
With excitement and intensity in the air, the local lads could not sit still during the break and were anxious to hit the ice for the last 15 minutes. The Bruce County boys knew they had a job to do and it was going to get done one way or another. South Bruce would press to start the third period, but unfortunately couldn't find the back of the net to widen the gap. Valley Storm would throw some offense the other way, but it was a display of South Bruce defense at its finest. A couple of key saves, shot blocks and some outstanding composure in the defensive zone would pave the way to the final buzzer. Final score was 4-3 for South Bruce and a repeat as International Silver Stick Bantam C Champions.
For four South Bruce players, this year was an opportunity to become one of the few in International Silver Stick history to win two years in a row. For 10 players, it was a chance to win something they have not been able to accomplish in the past. The boys have proven all season long that it takes a team to win Championships and this tournament was a shining example. The team has suffered broken fibulas, collarbones, wrists, and several other injuries that would see most teams pack it in, but the South Bruce boys continue to persevere. This tournament was one of the gutsiest performances by a group of 13 and 14 year old's seen in a long time and they all deserve a tonne of credit for the victory. It is true "the harder you work, the luckier you get!"
Congratulations to all of the players on a fantastic weekend in Forest. Team members include Zach Girdler, Carter Schaus, Trevor Fischer, Caleb Tolton, Garret Kreager, Jordan Borth, Jeremiah LeMay, Ty Turnbull, Rhys Martin, Brayden Fischer, Kalen Cassidy, Clayton Dietz, Kyle Durrer and Connor Borth. Cheering from the sidelines were Curtis Ruetz and Austin McKeachnie. The team is coached by Ryan Martin, Tyson Soers, Troy Fischer, Bill Lark and Trainer Scott Girdler.
Thank you to an anonymous donor and our tournament sponsors Ruetz Contracting, Schmidt's Paving and the Teeswater Kinsmen for making the weekend possible. Also a huge thank you to Carrie Girdler for livestreaming the games to all of our fans back home!
Go South Bruce Go!