Minor Atom A are Lakeshore Champions!!, News, Minor Atom A, U10, 2017-2018 (Oshawa Minor Hockey)

This Team is part of the 2017-2018 season, which is not set as the current season.
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Mar 27, 2018 | mweatherbee | 2926 views
Minor Atom A are Lakeshore Champions!!
Here you will not read about Lucifer, Prince Charming or the Fairy Godmother, but I would like to introduce you to Oshawa Minor Hockey’s own Cinderella story starring the Minor Atom A Oshawa Minor Generals, directed by Head Coach Terry Rayner.

On January 6, 2018 when the regular season had ended, there was a sense of doom and gloom amongst the Minor Atom A team.  A disappointing regular season had come to an end, where the team was only able to muster up 18 points with a 7-17-4 record.  Going into our final game, our eyes were set on a first round match-up against the Clarington Toros.  A win would mean a sixth place finish, but our final opponent, the Quinte West Hawks managed to hand us our final regular season loss which secured our spot in seventh place; 29 points behind the co-leaders from Whitby.

Fresh off a triumphant win in Peterborough at the Lift Lock Tournament, we were feeling confident and ready to take on the second place team, the Whitby Wildcats Blue in the first round of the OMHA playoffs.  What we were not prepared for, nor expected, was a sweep by our opponents in a matter of a few days.  Had our regular season woes crept back into the minds of these young nine year olds?  It was a crushing defeat after such an emotional weekend just eight days prior.  Nevertheless, the season would continue on in the Lakeshore round of the playoffs.

Round two saw us matched-up against Quinte West where we managed to split the first four games and have that fifth and deciding game just north of Trenton in Frankford.  The boys struggled in that final game and lost 6-0, but they were fortunate that this round was a non-elimination round and once again, the season would continue.

Once the other series had completed, our opponent was set.  In round three of the playoffs we were set to face the Peterborough Petes.  This round was an elimination round and they boys seemed to have that fear fuel their fire.  There was no chance that they were going to let anyone end their season in mid-February.  In an unprecedented sweep of the Petes, the Gens won by scores of 3-2, 7-1 and 3-2.  Finally, the boys had put their game together and executed on all levels.  They hit their stride and it could not come at a better time, as the regular season first place finishers, Whitby Wildcats White would be our next opponent.

I do not think that anyone on the team, or in the league for that matter, could have predicted what would follow in round four of the playoffs against the league’s best.  The boys came out flying in game one and managed to hand Whitby one of, if not, their biggest loss of the season.  It was a 5-1 win and it was a strong message; “To our friendly western neighbours:  We are the real deal. You may have been 29 points ahead of us in the regular season, but we are now two points ahead of you in this semi-final series.  With a minor case of the hiccups in game two, losing 5-1, the Generals went on to capture the next two games and take the series in front of the hometown crowd.  It was a 3-1 series win and the boys’ confidence had to be at an all-time high.  They had just ended the season of the first place team and were moving on to the Lakeshore Finals.

Two months prior, as we were looking ahead to our playoff season, our hopeful scenario was to face the Clarington Toros in the first round.  Since we could not end the season with a win, our match-up would have to wait.  Exactly two months to the day we started the playoffs, we were fortunate to face the Toros in the Lakeshore Final, who were fresh off a series win against Kingston.  Clarington managed to find the empty net late in game one, which gave them a 4-2 win and the upper hand early on in the series.

As the series shifted back to Oshawa for game two, each team traded goals in the second period, but as the final buzzer rang, the teams were deadlocked at one and overtime was on deck.  Just prior to the mid-way point of the extra frame, number five, Sam Groeneveld forced a turnover just inside our own blue line and headed down on a breakaway.  What will he do?  Forehand, backhand, forehand, red light.  A 2-1 win and a series all tied up at one game apiece. 

Game three was a difficult one.  A 6-0 defeat and one of our more lack luster efforts of the season.  There is not much else to say about this one, except we are down 2-1 in the series and facing elimination.

Game four back on home soil saw a polar opposite of game three.  We put up six goals in the first two periods and cruised to a 6-3 win and we now had a series all tied up at two games each.  Our entire season was now down to a winner take all game on March 25, 2018 at South Courtice Arena.

Sunday afternoon – Oshawa versus Clarington – Game Five – Lakeshore Finals.  Each team traded goals in the first period, however Clarington managed to score the lone goal in the second period and took a 2-1 lead into the final frame.  With 4:20 left in the third period, game two overtime hero, Sam Groeneveld managed to creep in behind the Clarington defensemen and deke the goaltender and shovel a beauty backhand above the sprawling net minder.  A 66 game season was now down to four minutes.  The feel of overtime was lurking in the building and each team knew that a goal in regulation time would essentially be that final nail in the elusive coffin.  Miraculously, just one minute and two seconds later, after a key shot from the point by Jace Imrie, our number 87 Dominic Gareau was left alone in front of the net to knife home the rebound and take that all important one goal lead.  Three minutes and eighteen seconds felt longer than the previous 65 games played, but the boys played stellar defense and managed to hang on for the game win; the series win and the Lakeshore Championship win.

On behalf of Head Coach Terry Rayner, Assistant Coaches Nick Sutton and Todd Imire and Trainer Doug Bennett, I would like to congratulate our boys on becoming Lakeshore Champions.  We were all very fortunate to be part of these boys’ lives for the past seven months and we will forever feel privileged to have coached such a fantastic group of players.

Up next:  Lakeshore/York Simcoe Challenge.  April hockey?  You gotta love it!

Brian Weatherbee
Assistant Coach

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