U11 A Boys take gold at Welland tournament

The Social Thirty-One U11 A Boys St. Marys Rock won the gold medal at the Welland Little NHL tournament Nov. 14-16. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are Ryan Pickel and Elliott Maddock. In the second row, from left, are Owen Simons, Kai Sherwood, Kyle Johnson, Jack Anderson, Lincoln Jennings and Nico Thompson. In the third row, from left, are Tucker Posthumus, Logan Masselis, Rhett Parkinson, Everett Crummer, Bode Keller, Myles Avey and Ashton Ropp. In the fourth row, from left, are Scott Crummer, Mark Jennings, Mike Johnson, Jaden Ropp and Mitch Watt.

By Spencer Seymour

The Social Thirty-One U11 A Boys St. Marys Rock earned the top prize at the Welland Little NHL tournament Nov. 14-16.

Head coach Mike Johnson told the Independent the team displayed an impressive composure in a boisterous environment.

“We were playing in some small rinks with a lot of distractions, and they showed a lot of mental toughness and perseverance,” said Johnson. “There were hour-long delays, inconsistent officiating and playing in the home rink of the team we played in the finals, which made it a pretty loud, chaotic environment, but they were able to overcome all those distractions and get the job done. They really are starting to mature and show some of those characteristics of resiliency and mental toughness and not giving up when things get tough.”

That maturity, according to Johnson, was also displayed in individual moments throughout the weekend.

“Lincoln (Jennings) had a great back-check which was a game-saver in the dying second of our third game,” Johnson said. “They were getting what looked like an odd-man rush off a broken play in the offensive zone, and he hunted the puck down, and the guy didn’t get a shot off. Then, Nico (Thompson) had another back check like that in the final game. They were key because they showed they understood the importance of that little detail. Those two knew that was needed from them at that moment, and they committed to it and gave every ounce of energy they had to do it.”

The Rock took on the West Seneca Wings in the semi-final, with the Wings jumping out to a 1-0 lead with the only goal of the first period. However, an explosive second frame saw St. Marys get three unanswered goals to go up by two heading into the third. Rhett Parksinon tied the game for the Rock at the 8:47 mark of the second before Ashton Ropp and Everett Crummer found the back of the net. Ropp later added his second of the game midway through the third, and Elliott Maddock backstopped St. Marys to a 4-1 win.

Johnson explained how their netminder helped get them through a rocky first period before the Rock settled into the game.

“We were a little flat coming out,” Johnson said. “It was a morning game, out of town at a hotel, so you can imagine they didn’t necessarily get the sleep they’re used to, and so we were a little bit flat getting started, but Elliott (Maddock) made some huge saves in the first period to keep us close, and then we really got rolling in the second. We just skated the other team right out of the rink.”

According to Johnson, strong offensive-zone pressure by each forward line coming out of the gate in the second got the team rolling.

“The line of Ashton (Ropp), Everett (Crummer) and Tucker (Posthumus) had a forechecking shift that really set the tone. Then, Kyle (Johnson), Bode (Keller) and Rhett (Parkinson) followed it up with another good forechecking shift, and then Lincoln (Jennings), Nico (Thompson) and Owen (Simons) followed it up right after. Once all three lines all rolled through, it just built from there.”

The win over West Seneca earned the Rock a spot in the gold medal game against the host Tigers from Welland. With just under nine and a half minutes left in the first, Kyle Johnson got the Rock out to a 1-0 lead, a goal that held up as the eventual game-winner thanks to what the bench boss called goaltender Ryan Pickel’s best ever game.

“Ryan (Pickel) got through that whole tournament without allowing a goal, which was pretty special,” Mike Johnson said. “Ryan was just laser focused. Any time there was a mess in front of him, he covered it up and gave up no rebounds. It was just easy and relaxing, no anxious moments on the bench because everything that hit him was swallowed right up. He was in absolute control.”

Kai Sherwood added an insurance marker in the second frame as the Rock cruised to a 2-0 victory.

Mike Johnson credited both the team’s defencemen and the centres for playing pivotal roles in getting the win in the championship game.

“They were really shutting things down and moving the puck well, which created a lot of opportunities for us offensively. Our defenders, Jack (Anderson), Myles (Avey), Logan (Masselis) and Kai (Sherwood) have been working really hard at what we’ve been trying to get them to buy into in terms of the details of footwork, positioning and communication. We really ask them to be offensive catalysts by getting the puck, getting their heads up and making plays, and they’re really doing a great job of it.

“Our centremen were massive in the finals,” Mike Johnson continued. “They just dominated in the faceoff circle. The team we were playing was trying to run a couple of set offensive-zone plays that they’d had success with in the tournament, and our centremen really committed to doing what they needed to do to lock that down.”

Mike Johnson reflected on the tournament, noting some impressive growth in the team’s shorthanded play.

“Penalty-killing for us has been a challenge all year, and we got that tested quite strongly in two of the games, especially, but we did well. We got some key saves when we needed it and the players are buying into the system we’re asking them to play and starting to understand it, which says a lot for 10-year-olds when you start asking them to think about a little bit of structure out there.

“We have a mantra – ‘protect the house’ – and we call the puck a bomb, and we don’t want the bomb in our house,” added Mike Johnson. “We’ve got a little structure built up around that little metaphor, and the kids all seem to understand it and work towards it, and it’s starting to work.”