U14 A Boys strike gold at Aurora tournament

The Frayne Custom Cabinets U14 A Boys St. Marys Rock won the gold medal at the Joe Bentolila Classic tournament Jan. 9-11 in Aurora. Pictured in the front row, from left to right, are Jake Ackert and Oliver Strickler. In the second row, from left, are Ben Becker, Cam Hughes, Greyson Gillespie, Logan Broughton, Grayson Gorley, Jackson Schoonerwoerd and Mason Soumalias. In the third row, from left, are head coach Josh Becker, Rylan Dobinson, Beckham Skillings, Sam Colvin, assistant trainer Joe Wilhelm, Simon Bailey, Elliott Wilhelm, Lukas Francis, assistant coach Ryan Francis, Bryce Blight, Liam Barker, trainer Brian Barker and assistant coach Jayden Rooney. Contributed photo

By Spencer Seymour

The Frayne Custom Cabinets U14 A Boys St. Marys Rock won the top prize at the Joe Bentolila Classic tournament Jan. 9-11 in Aurora.

Head coach Josh Becker said the team’s primary focus throughout the tournament was to put constant pressure on their opponents, which they did successfully.

“They were first to the puck, beating guys in, getting pucks deep and going to the net,” said Becker. “Just those simple things were really clicking this weekend, and that’s what we wanted. Our goal was to make it to elimination day, and they did that and then exceeded our goals. We’ve been pushing them all year, and they actually were pushing each other to be better. That was our biggest theme throughout the weekend, just continuing to push.”

The Rock went undefeated through the four-game round-robin, finishing at the top of the 11-team pool heading into a semi-final game against the Kirkland Lake Blue Devils. Against Kirkland Lake, St. Marys found themselves struggling to beat a strong netminder, with the first of the game being scored late in the second period by the Blue Devils, sending the Rock into the third period down by a goal.

Grayson Gorley finally found an equalizer for St. Marys just over four minutes into the third with the lone assist going to Greyson Gillespie. A little over five-and-a-half minutes later, Liam Barker buried a go-ahead goal for the Rock, assisted by Lukas Francis, before Francis iced the game with an insurance marker in the final minute to secure a 3-1 victory, backstopped by Oliver Strickler in goal.

Becker detailed the team’s resiliency, which went on to also be a theme in the finals as well.

“We had a slow start, but the guys just kept pushing and got pucks to the net, and finally, we were able to get one by the goalie. We came up against a hot goaltender and he stopped a lot. It was a great feeling when we finally broke through. They never stopped once from the semi-final to the finals, being down a goal in the semis and then being down two goals in the finals and eventually coming back to win both games.”

In the gold-medal game, the Rock took on the potent LaSalle Sabres who, entering the tournament, were a top-10-ranked team in the province. Once again, St. Marys trailed the game, this time by two goals at the end of the first.

“We got down two goals early in the first and we talked during the intermission, regrouped with the guys, told them to push and they did that in the second and put up four goals,” Becker said. “And just from there, it just kept going. LaSalle is a great hockey club; they move the puck well, get it deep and cycle it around. But our boys just didn’t let them get set up in the second and third.”

The Rock’s offensive eruption in the second period featured three goals in as many minutes, kicked off by Gillespie scoring with assists going to Skillings and Sam Colvin. Rylan Dobinson then tied the game at two apiece with Francis picking up the assist. Francis then scored a goal of his own, assisted by Barker and Simon Bailey, followed by a goal by Bryce Blight. In the third, LaSalle cut the Rock’s lead back to one, but Francis scored in the final minute to clinch the 5-3 victory and the gold medal, with Strickler once again getting the win between the pipes.

Becker credited the entire team for delivering well-rounded production throughout the tournament and for always lifting up their teammates in moments of adversity.

“We have a deep group that can continue to push, and it doesn’t matter from the first line to the third line. We have scoring throughout the lineup, and everyone shared the load all weekend and all year. We’re not just relying on two of three individuals for all the scoring.

“They’re always talking on the bench about things they can try differently and what they’re doing well,” continued Becker. “That’s a huge thing we want them to do. I remind them all the time, ‘Pick the guy beside you up.’ Mistakes happen on the ice, but you have to figure out how to make them better the next time, and our boys do that.”