U18 AA Northern Selects Win Silver Medal at Tournament of Champions
Submitted by Barb Zelek and Raymond Lake
Over the weekend of March 16-19, the Northern Selects traveled to Thunder Bay to compete in the Hockey Northwestern Ontario (HNO) Tournament of Champions. This tournament saw the best AA teams in Northwestern Ontario compete against one another. This was the first year the Selects competed at the U18 level and they faced several challenges: players needed to travel great distances to practice, there were few opportunities for games early in the season, and the Thunder Bay teams competed regularly in a city league. Despite these challenges, the Northern Selects managed to work their way into the Gold Medal game and were a bad bounce away from a title.
The weekend started with a game against the Fort Frances Canadians. The Canadians face many of the same challenges as the Selects and their lack of game experience showed as the Selects shut out the team from Fort Frances 5-0. It was a great start for the Selects and goals were scored by five different Selects: Royce Abraham, Noah Michano-Drover, Lucas Moysey, Tanner Taylor, and Noah McWatch.
The second game of the tournament did not yield the same result. Although their hopes were high going in, the Selects came out with a 3-2 loss to the West End Bruins. Both Ethan Albert and Royce Abraham notched goals in the disappointing defeat. The loss left the Selects needing points from their third game.
The third game of the tournament was a low-scoring affair featuring some stellar goaltending from Kayo Lake and a timely game-winner from Blake Warren. The Current River Comets are the top team in Thunder Bay and had beaten the Selects in their other tilts this season. After playing dogged defense for most of the game, Blake Warren escaped on a breakaway with seven minutes left and netted the game-winner, his second goal of the game. A desperate bit of defending preserved a 2-1 victory for the Selects and put them in a good position to make the playoffs.
The fourth game for the Selects did not look anything like the first three. After three great defensive performances, the Selects gave up 5 goals and lost in a shoot-out to the Fort William Canadiens for a 6-5 final score. The result was a surprise, but the single point for a regulation tie was enough to ensure that the Selects made the four-team playoff in third place. They would have to face off against the West End Bruins in the Saturday night semi-final.
The semi-final at the Fort William First Nation Arena featured an outstanding goaltending performance by Kayo Lake and an amazing game of team defense. The Selects kept their nerve through thick and thin, sticking to their commitment to defense even after Zach Lebel was knocked out of the game with an injury. In the end, the Selects weathered almost 50 shots and won in a shootout with Blake Warren and Royce Abraham tallying during the three player shootout. The 2-0 win saw the Selects advance to the Gold Medal Game. It was the first time since 2018 that any Selects team had made the finals.
The Gold Medal game at Fort William Gardens was a rematch between the Current River Comets and the Selects. From the drop of the puck, it was clear that the Comets were going to play their best game. Although the Selects fought hard, a bad bounce goal put the Selects on the losing side of a 4-2 game. As the final horn sounded, the Selects had to watch as the Comets celebrated their victory. It was a bittersweet moment – the boys were incredibly proud of their performance, but ultimately disappointed with their loss.
For four of our Selects players, this was the last competitive game of their minor hockey career. Our captain Blake Warren, and alternate captains, Zach Lebel, Lucas Moysey, and Blake Speziale took off their Selects jerseys for the last time. The Selects organization would like to thank these four players for their hard work, talent, dedication, and commitment to excellence. The Selects program was designed to provide our most talented rural players with an opportunity to play at the appropriate level. These four team leaders represent everything that makes the Selects program great.
As the season ends, the Selects would like to thank Murray Watson for his continued support of the Selects program and all our other partners. We would also like to thank Marathon Minor Hockey for hosting the program and all our community sponsors. This program would also not be possible without the support and commitment of our parents and families. We ended the season with a silver medal that makes us proud, but we are a gold mining region and you can be sure the Selects U18 will be looking for gold in 2024!
(Front) Giorgio Figliomeni (Schreiber), Zach Lebel (Manitouwadge), Blake Warren (Manitouwadge), Kayo Lake (Marathon), Lucas Moysey (Manitouwadge), Blake Speziale (Terrace Bay), Noah McWatch (Marathon) (submitted photo)
