Nov 13, 2023 | Shawn Patterson | 891 views
U16 AAs are Regional Silver Stick Champions!
Heading into back to back tournament weekends the U16 AA Guelph Gryphons were a little banged up. 4 days prior to the Silver Stick, they lost in the quarter final game in the London Fall Classic, to a top 5 team, Mississauga Beast.
The first game on Friday was against our Alliance rival and the #2 ranked team Kitchener Jr Rangers. The Gryphs took it to them and got a 5-2W.
Up next was the Mississauga Terriers from the GTHL. Again the Gryphons jumped out to the lead and scored 5 unanswered goals. The Terriers would sneak one in to make the game 5-1 for the Gryphs.
On Saturday morning the Gryphs woke up with the Orangeville Flyers on their mind. The Gryphs would take it to them but couldn't beat their goalie in the first period. These boys were relentless and scored 4 straight in the 2nd period. The Flyers would notch one late in the 3rd but that's all they could do. The Gryphs locked up the top spot in the round robin with the 4-1 victory.
The semi final game on Saturday night was against the GTHL's Mississauga Jets. The Gryphons would get a late goal in the first but would see the Jets tie it up the next shift. After a couple quick ones by the Gryphs the Jets would make it 3-2. But as the Jets did to them, the Gryphons would come right back and score again making it 4-2. Part way through the 3rd the Gryphs would put away the 5th and final goal. Thus, sending them to the finals with a 5-2W.
In the finals, the Gryphons would be up against the #3 ranked Brantford 99ers. This game was back and forth and did not disappoint the large crowd on hand. The Gryphons would kick off the scoring early in the 2nd period. Not long after though, the 99ers scored and then a few mins later did so again. Heading into the 3rd, the Gryphs faced their first deficit of the tournament. The 99ers came out and popped one early to take a 3-1 lead. Not giving up or backing down the Gryphons would fight through the next couple shifts and be rewarded. 14 seconds later they would score again to tie it up at 3s. With a late faceoff in Brantford's zone the Gryphons would call a timeout to try one last play. Unfortunately, we couldn't bury it and headed to a 10 min 3V3 sudden death OT.
After both teams going back and forth, hitting posts and crossbars, the Gryphons would enter the zone, win the corner battle, and hit a beauty shot from the high slot to take the 4-3 win!
With the Regional Championship now claimed, the U16 AA Guelph Gryphons have secured their spot in the International Silver Stick in January. So far teams from Florida and Las Vegas have also qualified.
Congratulations to the players and coaches and good luck in Newmarket!