by Chris Fox
The Kemptville Royals U11-B1 hockey team travelled to the Ottawa East March Break Tournament over the March 15 to 17 weekend for its third tournament of the year, and came home champion! The team consists of Blyth Martin, Tyler Fox, Greyson Hilton, Kieran Mark, Michael Fox, Jack Holmes, Carter Lizotte, Mason Paterson, Marek Frizell, Mason Walter, Brady Forman, Carter O’Neil, Carson Scott, Tony Charbel and Jakob Meisner, with a bench staff of Head Coach Chris Fox, assistant coaches Ryan Scott, Ryan Lizotte, Ted Forman, Trainer Mike Martin and Manager Paul Frizell.
Game one of the round-robin saw the Royals up against the Stittsville Snipers, where the Royals made a dominant start to the Tournament. Paterson, who was absent for the Tournament, fired the team up with a message of support. After a slow start, the Royals quickly found their game and dominated the play to a 5-0 win! A well-rounded offense led to goals by Hilton (2), Charbel (2), and O’Neil (1), with helpers from Walter, M. Fox, Hilton, and T. Fox, all with one apiece.
The second battle of the Tournament had the Royals face off against the Kanata Demon Slayers, and Kemptville came out on top. The Royals got rolling first with a highlight real one-timer from O’Neil off a great feed from Hilton. The Demon Slayer didn’t back down, and it was a back-and-forth battle to the end, with the Royals finishing with a 5-3 triumph. Centreman Hilton led the charge with a hat trick (3), with other lamp lighters by Charbel (1) and O’Neil (1). Assists came from Frizell (2), Hilton (1), Forman (1), and Walter (1). Solid defensive contributions made by Mark helped keep the Royals in the lead and bring home the win.
Game 3 brought an outpouring of offense from the Royals against the Ottawa Centre Flaming Knights, leading to an 8-0 victory and a guaranteed bye into the championship game, with a first-place overall finish in the round-robin. Goaltender Martin backstopped the team for a second shutout of the Tournament. Scoring came from all angles, with points from Hilton (2), Walter (2), Meisner (1), M. Fox (1), Frizell (1), and Charbel (1). Helpers were contributed by Scott (2), Hilton (1), Lizotte (1), Charbel (1), and Walter (1).
The championship was set for Sunday March 17, as the Royals went head-to-head in a rematch against the Demon Slayers for gold! The Royals Kingdom were behind the team from the start for the finals. Messages of support and encouragement continued from Paterson, as well as Holmes, who is out for the season with injury. The fans in the building were loud and proud, while messages from as far away as Florida, Arizona, New Brunswick, and beyond lit a fire under the team!
The championship game saw an unbelievable battle, with the first period ending with blanks for both sides. Midway through the second, the Royals faced adversity when the Demon Slayers slipped one in to take the lead. The Royals battled back and tied the game when Charbel netted one, with assists from Frizell and T. Fox. The second period ended with the two sides deadlocked at 1-1. As the third period was drawing to a close, the Kingdom got loud and the tension in the building was high. The Royals ended up on the powerplay with less than 30 seconds remaining. An offensive zone draw saw the Royals take control; a pass from Walter landed on the stick of Charbel who drove behind the net and jammed home the wrap-around winner with 7.9 seconds left on the clock. The building erupted and the Royals’ bench went crazy. The Royals killed the remaining seconds and won it all in a true nail biter!
The U11-B1 Royals would like to thank their season sponsors for their ongoing support, including David Walter Financial Services Ltd., McGraw Technical Services, J.D. Barnes Ltd., Annis O’Sullivan Vollebekk Ltd., and Moex Property Maintenance Inc.
