Brant Battalion U11B finish as Spring Fling finalists
- Apr 14
- 2 min read
Casandra Turnbull
Managing Editor
The Brant Battalion U11B team closed out its season as finalists at the East Gwillimbury Spring Fling tournament, held April 10–12.
Brant delivered a perfect round-robin performance, opening with a 9-1 win over the East York Bulldogs. Goal scorers included Harrison Rusyn, Nolan Kearsley, Levi Blake, Nash McLaren, Alex Thoms (2), Jacoby Bonnell, Jarome Burke and Blake Anderson.
The Battalion followed up with a 6-2 victory over the East Nipissing Black Saddle Vipers, with goals from Anderson, Austin Meza, Bonnell, Rusyn, Burke and Kearsley. Mason Espinola was solid in net, making several key saves to preserve the lead.
Brant capped off round-robin play with an 8-1 win against the Upper York Admirals. Gordon Fisher opened the scoring in the first period, while Bonnell (2) and McLaren added goals in the second. The team erupted for four more in the third, with Bonnell completing a hat trick, Anderson scoring twice and Kearsley adding one. Ben Turnbull stood strong between the pipes, stopping three breakaway attempts. Throughout the round robin play, the defensive lines attacked hard and kept scoring opportunities to a minimum.
The Battalion met the Admirals again in the semifinals Sunday morning, grinding out a 4-2 win. Kearsley led with two goals, while Rusyn and Burke each added one. In the championship final, Brant faced East Nipissing once more in a fast-paced rematch. Despite a strong effort, the Battalion fell 4-1, with the game sealed by an empty-net goal.
The tournament marked the end of the season for the U11B squad. “It was a great way to finish the season with a great group of kids,” said coach Jon Kristman.
Brant closes the year with an impressive 46-15-4 record - a season to remember, highlighted by a Southern Counties Tier 2 championship banner that will hang in the rafters at the Brant Sports Complex.
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