The Mclean and Dickey Orillia Terriers were swept away by the Stayner Siskins on Thursday evening, ending a Provincial Junior Hockey League second-round playoff series that was shrouded by controversy.
Game 3 resumed on Thursday following the Terriers protesting the result of the game originally played on Sunday. It first ended with the Siskins scoring in overtime after a Terriers goal was disallowed when Siskins' goalie Matteo Gennaro knocked the net off its moorings.
The goaltender was given a delay of game penalty when the rule states the Terriers should have been awarded a penalty shot opportunity, which is what was ordered after the Terriers protested the result.
So, on Thursday night, Game 3 was resumed — with a penalty shot attempt — at the point in overtime in which the erroneous penalty was called. If the Terriers could have scored, they would have been awarded a victory.
However, it was not meant to be. Forward Devon Edmonds drove to the net with good speed on the break away, but Gennaro poked away his try at a deke.
"It's a game of inches," lamented Terriers coach Dalyn Telford. "I think if Devon made his move a second earlier, he would have had a wide-open net to slide the puck into."
Telford says the pressure on both Edmonds and Gennaro was "huge" at that moment.
"Devon is a gifted goal scorer and has great hands around the net," Telford said. "But, generally, the advantage on a penalty shot is to the goalie and credit to Gennaro for making a great play."
The Terriers and Siskins then played the remaining 7:26 of overtime remaining from Sunday afternoon — which solved nothing. But, just over a minute into the second overtime frame, Siskins forward Sam Shakes scored off a rush from the blue line in front of a moving screen.
"It was kind of a knuckle puck that fooled everybody," Telford said. "It was a typical overtime goal; there was a bit of traffic, and in it went."
When the puck slid past goaltender Aidan Jerry to sound the final horn on the Terriers' season, Telford said he felt "crushed."
"I think that was the feeling of our whole team," he said. "I told our players after the game that I haven't had this much fun around a group in a long time. They made me look forward to coming to the rink every night."
Telford says losing the series to Stayner wasn't for a lack of effort. He says many of his key players were banged up and were playing through injuries.
"Despite the first round being a four-game sweep, Huntsville was a very tough team to play against," Telford said. "They were physical, and we had some guys playing through some major injuries."
Since Telford took over as the coach of the Terriers, the champion of the North Carruthers Division has always either been Stayner or Alliston. Telford is still confident that one day the Terriers will be able to break through.
"We just need to keep working," Telford said. "A lot of our younger guys saw the difference between the regular season and the playoffs and then saw the difference between the first round and the second round."
Telford expects next year's team to be a little stronger, noting management has already begun talks with "high-profile" players who are coming out of minor and AAA hockey.
"We set the franchise record for wins (29) this year," Telford said. "The benchmark going into next year will be to beat that again."
Not returning next year will be defenceman Lucas Wessinger, and forwards Noah Mountain and Mason Beck who all aged out at the end of the season.
"There were a lot of hugs and tears last night," Telford said. "We were in the dressing room for probably an hour after the game before everyone was gone."
Telford coached Mountain and Beck with the AAA North Central Predators when they were 15 years old.
"I had them before they were driving," Telford said. "Now they are men, and they are into their careers. All three of those guys are hardworking and have bright futures."
Telford says the three over-agers have left their mark on the franchise for future years.
"They taught the younger guys a lot about leadership," he said. "Those three had a good knack of making everybody feel included. They had a huge factor in developing the culture we have."
Beck, who spent five years with the Terriers and is the franchise's all-time leading scorer, says it's "sad" to watch his junior career come to an end.
"It's happy and sad at the same time," he said. "I enjoyed every second of junior and wish I could keep playing, but I can't."
Beck, a Barrie native, says playing in Orillia was special.
"I have a lot of memories with all the boys," he said. "I enjoyed it every time we went out for the warm-up and seeing all the fans."
Beck said while growing up, he always dreamed of standing on the ice with a junior team during the Canadian national anthem.
"When you go out there and hear the fans cheering your name it feels like pro hockey almost," he said. "It was something I always looked forward to getting to the rink for."
While the Terriers never made it to a division final in Beck's time with the team, he's confident success is on the horizon.
"Our team is known for its dedication and work ethic," he said. "We have the tightest group in the North Carruthers Division and a great coaching staff. This team came from a four-win season to almost 30 wins this year," he said. "You know there is more to come."
Telford thanks the community for supporting the team again this season.
"It means a ton to me," he said. "It means a ton to our organization, and most importantly, it means a ton to our players."
