U18 A Boys win gold at Rock Preseason Showdown

The St. Marys Cement U18 A Boys St. Marys Rock won the gold medal at the Rock Preseason Showdown Sept. 26-28. Pictured sitting in the front, from left to right, are Luke Binning and Reid Taylor. In the kneeling row, from left, are trainer Eric Burford, Kolton McAllister, Zach Larmer, Simon Taylor, Jared Ballantyne, Ethan Henderson, Finn Wright and Ethan Jarmuth. In the standing row, from left, are trainer Mason Boonstra, assistant coach Lucas Spence, Eli Rovillos, Ben Ewing, Hayden Wright, Nic Brintnell, Sam Johnson, Evan Ballantyne, Evan Pym, Danny Switzer, head coach Gord Cookson and assistant coach Kyle Spence.

By Turner Roth

The St. Marys Cement U18 A Boys St. Marys Rock triumphed at the Rock Preseason Showdown Sept. 26-28.

The Rock started off their season strong with three wins and one loss in round-robin play, as they posted the most goals by any team in the tournament with an impressive 19 goals in four games. Assistant coach Kyle Spence credited the team’s preparation as key to their early success.

“We were excited to get back on the ice playing games, as we had three weeks of practice before we could play a game as a team together,” said Spence. “It got us ready to go and it helped build up the excitement amongst the guys, and we felt ready to go.”

In the semi-final, the Rock faced the Strathroy Junior Jets. It didn’t start well for the hometown team, as Strathroy took an early two-goal lead after the first period.

Spence praised the group’s ability to get their minds back in the game.

“We were able to bounce back after a rough first period using our speed and skill,” Spence said. “We were relentless, with the determination and the will to win, we just never let back. They just went back to doing the little things, the simple things, they kept it easy and put it all together to come back.”

With renewed determination, the Rock scored five unanswered goals in the second period and every time the horn sounded, it was a different name. On the powerplay, Ethan Jarmuth started the run of goals, and two minutes later, Evan Pym tied it up at two apiece. A goal by Evan Ballantyne secured the lead for St. Marys, followed by goals by Jared Ballantyne and Nic Brintnell, leading the Rock to take a 5-2 win and advance on to the finals.

The finals were a much lower-scoring affair as the Rock played its toughest opponent yet in the New Hamburg Junior Firebirds. The two teams had the exact same record going into the final game.

“They played well from start to finish against New Hamburg,” Spence told the Independent. “I think we just played solid and buried our chances when we got them. We didn’t have a whole lot, but when chances came about, we put them in the back of the net.”

The game started off with an Evan Ballantyne goal late in the first period, and as the game started with a Ballantyne goal, it also finished with one. New Hamburg tied it up on a powerplay halfway through the third period, but two minutes later, Jared Ballantyne scored on a man advantage for St. Marys, giving them a crucial one-goal lead. They hung on to it for the rest of the game, winning 2-1 over the Firebirds and claiming the tournament’s top prize.