Silver Lining for Soo Jr. Tornado Selects
SILVER LINING – Soo Jr. Tornado Selects take Silver at
NOHA Tournament Of Champions!
March 10th-12th, 2017 saw your Soo Jr. Tornado Selects Minor Bantam ‘AA’ team head to Sudbury to compete in the N.O.H.A. Tournament of Champions!
The weekend got off to a strong start for the Jr. Tornado as they opened the tournament with a convincing 8-1 Victory over the North Bay Trappers ‘AA’ team Friday evening at 8:00pm. A balanced attack that included 7 different goal scorers and a steady defensive game gave the Jr. Tornado confidence moving forward in the round robin. Game MVP award went to goaltender #30 Zach Prusky who played solid when called upon.
Saturdays action began with a matchup vs. the Nickel City Flyers ‘A’ club. A slow start had the game tied 1-1 after the 1st period of play. The Flyers were playing with edge and energy and gave the Jr. Tornado a very strong effort. Ultimately the Jr. Tornado’s speed and skill took over as the flood gates opened to an eventual 7-2 victory to improve to 2-0 in round robin play. Game MVP Award went to defenceman #3 Owen Watson who scored a Power Play goal (the eventual game winner) and added 2 assists for a 3 point and +4 game.
Next up was a match up with the highly rated Nickel City Jr. Sons ‘AA’ team who had beaten your Soo Jr. Tornado Selects 5-1 earlier this season in the Silver Stick Tournament. Both teams came into the game with 2-0 records in round robin play, top spot was on the line going into Sundays semi finals.
The Jr. Tornado came out flying and played an up tempo game matching the very skilled Jr. Sons club. The teams traded chances throughout the 1st period as it ended 0-0 due to the stellar goaltending at both ends. An early Power Play goal in the 2nd period by #11 Nathan Keranen gave the Jr. Tornado a 1-0 lead which they eventually doubled to 2-0 on yet another marker by #11 Nathan Keranen shortly before the end of the 2nd. After the intermission the Jr. Sons found new life and caught your Jr. Tornado off guard notching 4 unanswered goals to hand the Jr. Tornado their first loss of the tournament. Game MVP Award once again went to Goaltender #30 Zach Prusky who kept the Jr. Tornado alive with save after save right to the bitter end.
A Semi Final date with the 3rd Place Copper Cliff Redmen ‘AA’ team was set for 11am Sunday Morning. Copper Cliff came into the game having the same 2-1 round robin record losing only to the Jr. Sons 8-5 Saturday. The game began and the Redmen dominated play, going up 2-0 midway through the 1st period. It was gut check time for the Jr. Tornado. And they answered the bell as #16 Ethan Novello scored just 7 seconds after they had gone down 2-0 to make it 2-1. Four minutes later a Power Play goal by Jr. Tornado Captain #12 Jake Kovacs squared the game at two a piece heading into the 2nd. The teams traded goals in the 2nd to make it 3-3 with one period remaining. A 2nd power play goal by Jr. Tornado Captain #12 Jake Kovacs gave the team a 4-3 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Once again a quick answer, this time by the Redmen who scored just 2 minutes later to even things at 4. Things tightened up, with both teams playing strong, physical hockey. A turnover in the neutral zone lead to a quick break down the left wing, and a snipe over the goalies shoulder from the top of the circle to give the Jr. Tornado a 5-4 lead with just 2:05 remaining in the game. It was the Hat Trick Goal for Jr. Tornado Captain #12 Jake Kovacs who elevated his play along with the entire team in a win or go home game. After a few tense moments, the Jr. Tornado hung on to win 5-4 and a rematch was set with the Nickel City Jr. Sons ‘AA’ team in the championship game. Game MVP Award goes to goaltender #35 Michael Flumian who shook off two early goals and played stellar down the stretch for the victory.
In the championship game the Jr. Tornado looked a little sluggish to start, and the highly skilled Jr. Sons team capitalized eventually getting out to a 4-0 lead including 2 Power Play markers. Down but not out the Jr. Tornado battled hard in the 3rd period notching a goal with 7 minutes remaining to make it 4-1. They gained some momentum and outshot the Jr Sons 7-2 in the 3rd but the gas tank was running on fumes after a long hard fought weekend of hockey and the Jr. Tornado eventually fell 5-1 to the Champion Nickel City Jr. Sons team. Game MVP Award goes to #11 Nathan Keranen who never quit and played fantastic all weekend long.
It was a Silver Medal well earned for the Soo Jr. Tornado Selects team. They represented Tornado Hockey and the City of Sault Ste Marie very well and were complimented often by fellow coaches, fans and tournament organizers for their high level of compete and skill level.
Your Soo Jr. Tornado Selects finished tournament play with a Championship in the Traverse City Minor Bantam ‘AA’ Series cup, a competitive showing in the Sudbury Silver Stick against some of the top ranked minor bantam ‘AA’ teams in Ontario, a semi final birth in the Steel City Bantam ‘A’ Tournament, a bronze medal in the Great Lakes Presidents Cup Major Bantam ‘AA’ tournament in Holland, MI, and capped it off with a Silver Medal in the Minor Bantam ‘AA’ NOHA Tournament of Champions in Sudbury.
Congratulations on a tremendous weekend of Hockey Jr. Tornado, you should all be very proud of the way you played and the honour you earned of being the NOHA Tournament of Champions Silver Medalists!