U14 A Boys capture silver at Glancaster tournament

The Frayne Custom Cabinets U14 A Boys St. Marys Rock claimed the silver medals at the Glancaster Bombers Veterans Memorial Tournament Nov. 7-9. Pictured sitting in the front row, from left to right, are Jake Ackert and Oliver Strickler. In the second row, from left, are Mason Soumalias, Grayson Gorley, Greyson Gillespie, Cam Hughes, Jackson Schoonerwoerd and Simon Bailey. In the third row, from left, are manager Joe Wilhelm, trainer Brian Barker, Sam Colvin, Beckham Skillings, Rylan Dobinson, Lukas Francis, Logan Broughton, assistant coach Ryan Francis, Ben Becker, Liam Barker, Bryce Blight, Elliot Wilhelm, head coach Josh Becker and assistant coach Jayden Rooney.

By Spencer Seymour

The Frayne Custom Cabinets U14 A Boys St. Marys Rock took the silver medals at the Glancaster Bombers Veterans Memorial Tournament Nov. 7-9.

The tournament gave the Rock a chance to show what they could do against teams from outside their normal Shamrock League division, with head coach Josh Becker highlighting the value in playing new competition from larger cities.

“This tournament was a building block for us, seeing new centres and getting away from Shamrock and competing against bigger centres from Ottawa, Cambridge and Michigan,” said Becker. “Shamrock is one of the toughest leagues around. We had to compete hard every game (in the tournament), and it’s just nice seeing fresh teams that you might play once or twice a year.”

One of the biggest bright spots for St. Marys all tournament was their penalty kill, which scored five of their 17 total goals in the tournament. Becker mentioned the team’s grit as helping them have such a successful penalty kill.

“The boys just wanted it more,” Becker told the Independent. “They dug down deep and worked hard all weekend long. Right from Game 1 to Game 6, they never let up once.”

Becker added he was pleased with how some of the key fundamentals they had been working on heading into the tournament finally started coming together.

“We’ve been working on a couple powerplays,” Becker said. “It’s been a process, but it’s starting to click, and the guys are getting into position, finding open ice and using their speed to their advantage. We’re not the biggest team out there, but we can out-skate a lot of teams.”

When the Rock faced off against Niagara for the first time in the tournament, they tied 1-1. However, the second time around in the tournament’s semi-final was different. The Rock came out relentlessly as a solid defensive and goaltending performance kept them in the game, with a goal from Lukas Francis in the third period being the dagger. Goaltender Oliver Strickler earned the win in net.

Becker praised the team’s determination in their semi-final victory.

“The grit was there,” Becker said. “We were getting pucks deep and winning forecheck battles. They never let up one shift. They don’t know how to stop. They just continue to go. They were first to the puck, winning battles, digging hard in the corners and getting out front of the net. It was a continuous effort from every line.”

Francis led the team in points, and both Strickler and Jake Ackert were strong in between the pipes throughout the weekend, combining for four shutouts in six games. According to Becker, Francis, Strickler and Ackert led a team-wide collection of strong showings.

“Lukas (Francis) is our captain and our leader, and he led the weekend on the scoresheet. But up and down the lineup, our defence and goaltending were excellent. Oliver (Strickler) and Jake (Ackert) put up four shutouts. The goaltending was unbelievable all weekend. The boys stood on their heads, made unbelievable saves and kept us in games that were tight.”

Though they were narrowly defeated by Cambridge in the gold-medal game by a score of 1-0, Becker called the silver-medal finish “a building block” for the rest of the season.

“The boys’ goal for the tournament was to make it six games. They really proved they can compete with any team in the province. I hope this week builds their confidence and continues to come back into the Shamrock loop and continue to dominate like the way they did on the weekend.”