LMHA finished off 2011 in style as just a few hours after the Peewee’s won their regional Silver Stick the Bantam’s followed suit by shutting out the hometown Kinucks 3-0 capturing the Bantam B title.The annual Christmas break tourney in Kincardine started on Tuesday Dec 27th with the Cycs facing South Huron. Nerves may have been an issue as a strange bounce saw the Sabres get on the board 1st but the Cycs would tie the game in the 2nd. The Sabres would again take the lead just seconds later, but what seems to be team trait the Cycs dominated the 3rd period scoring 6 times to win the game 7-2. Nine different Cycs hit the scoresheet in the game, with Broedy Karelse leading the way with 3 goals and an assist. Also recording points were Caleb Warren (goal and 2 assists), Keaton Willis (2 assists), Blake Buchanan, Cole Dannemann & Drew McKee (each had a goal) while Owen Bender, Matt Koch & Ben Rothwell each chipped in an assists. Steven Gottfried picked up the win in net.
Game 2 saw the Cycs face a tough Erin-Hillsburg team. This game was a very physical affair that featured many great scoring chances by the Cycs but it wasn’t until mid-way through thr 2nd period when Willis would get the local lads on the board as he converted the Dannemann pass. This would be all the offense needed as Braeden Ellis shut the door in net recording the shut-out and the 1-0 victory.
With 2 wins on Tuesday the bantams returned to Kincardine on Thursday to face a familiar opponent (Goderich) in a must win game. The Cycs would come out fast creating many scoring chances but good goaltending and errant shots would keep the game scoreless until late in the 1st period when Karelse shot found the back of the net. The 2nd period was similar to the 1st with the Cycs pressing but unable to add to their lead until late in the period when Bryce Fletcher potted a rebound (Riley Conners & Riley Thompson drew assists). Like the previous game the Cycs defensive core of Buchanan, McKee, Rothwell, Brenden Hall & Parker Yungblut would be rock solid preserving the 2-0 victory and a date in the semi-finals. Gottfried would pick up the well deserved victory in net.
In the semi-finals the Cycs would face-off against Tavistock. The Cycs would again come out prepared as they had several good scoring chances early but the Titan’s tender would stymie the Cycs shooters. The Titans would get on the board 1st only to have Koch tie the game a couple minutes later (Karekse, Buchanan assisting). A timely Titan’s line change would lead to another Titans goal and a 2-1 lead. The 2nd period featured more Cycs chances but they just couldn’t find the back of the net and thus found themselves down a goal heading into the 3rd period. Like previous games the 3rd period would be controlled by the Cycs and Dannemann would even the game up on the 1st shift of the 3rd (Willis, Warren assisting). This was just what the team needed as Thompson would then put the Cycs ahead just a few minutes later (Conner’s assisting) and then Willis would add another shortly after (Dannemann assisting). Warren would round out the scoring spree late in the 3rd giving the Cycs the 5-2 victory. Ellis was sharp in net as he earned the victory.
In the finals the Cycs would face the hometown Kinucks in front of a large crowd, however reports have that the almost half the crowd were Cyc’s supporters. As expected the game had a feverish start with lots opportunities for both teams. Actually both teams missed glorious open net chances but it would be Listowel’s Koch whose hard work opened the scoring in the 2nd period. The Cycs took the 1 goal lead into 3rd period when again their 1st shift of the period created 3 chances however all 3 would hit iron. Undaunted the Cycs continued working hard and finally with just under 5 minutes remaining in the game Warren would stretch the lead as he tucked home a nice shot (Conner's assisting). Kincardine continued to press but with Ellis in net and the Cycs focused on defence the Kinucks could not get any closer, then Warren would seal the deal into the empty net (Bender & McKee assisting) giving Listowel the 3-0 victory and the Regional Silver Stick title.
The coaching staff was obviously excited about the victory but it was more about being happy for the team as this group has never won the regional silver stick and many of these players had targeted this tournament as a team goal. The team would like to thank everyone who made the trip to Kincardine or followed them from Listowel. This win qualifies the bantams for the International Silver Stick in Forest on January 27-29.
Front (L-R) Steve Gottfried, Braeden Ellis Standing or Kneeling (L-R) Bruce Fitzgerald (coach) Brian Tucker (trainer) Bryce Fletcher, Rob Hollinger (coach), Broedy Karelse, Drew McKee, Blake Buchanan, Matthew Koch, Ben Rothwell, Keaton Willis, Parker Yungblut, Brendan Hall, Caleb Warren, Owen Bender, Larry Gordon (manager), Cole Dannemann, Riley Conners, Riley Thompson, Jerry Rozendal (coach)