Junior Navy Vets claim two Silver Stick titles on its golden anniversary

Woodstock native and NHL linesman Brad Kovachik performed the ceremonial puck drop at the 50th Silver Stick minor hockey tournament on Friday, Oct. 31. (Lee Griffi Photo)

Lee Griffi, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The U14 and U16 Woodstock Junior Navy Vets won gold and will move on to the International tournament in Newmarket.

The U14 team won twice in the round-robin portion, once in overtime, but did manage to earn first place, setting up a semi-final game against the Niagara Falls Canucks. The Vets earned a 3-2 victory and went on to defeat the Elgin Thames 73s 2-1 in the final.

The U16 team went undefeated in the round-robin and allowed just three goals against in three victories. Woodstock faced the Ausable Valley Coyotes in the semi-final and came up with a 4-3 win. They defeated the Pelham Panthers 5-3 in the gold medal game.

The tournament started in 1975 as a Peewee competition supported by the Royal Canadian Legion and eventually expanded to Novice teams. It was originally hosted at the Perry Street arena until its closure in 1999. In 2004, the tournament was accepted by the Silver Stick sanctioning committee. It started out with eight A teams throughout the Niagara region for the U10, U12, U14 and U16 age groups. The winner from each age bracket moves on to play for the International Silver Stick Championship hosted by Newmarket. Next year, the tournament is expected to expand to 12 teams per age group to accommodate the growth of minor hockey programs across the region.

The next Silver Stick qualifying tournament is scheduled for Nov. 14 to 16, featuring competition in the U10 and U12 age groups.