Against all odds, the Orillia Hawks U18B team, sponsored by Rama First Nation, are the champions of the 2022 SCFHA Brock Junior Badgers Rep Tournament after they pulled off an unbelievable third period comeback from a 4-1 deficit to win a thrilling gold medal game in overtime.
The Hawks found themselves severely shorthanded with four players from their roster out of the lineup for the elimination games due to injuries and various illnesses; the bulk of the players in the lineup were battling something themselves.
The Hawks entered the final round-robin game with a 3-0 record after hard-fought victories of 2-0 over the Brantford Ice Cats, 4-2 over the Scarborough Sharks and 5-0 over the Belmont Blazers. They faced the Durham West Lightning which sported an equal 3-0 record. The game was a tightly contested match which ended in a 1-1 tie allowing the Hawks to secure second place based on a tie-break rule with Durham West having more goals for in round robin play.
The Hawks, who played the entire tournament with only four defenders, were down to seven forwards for the elimination games.
In the semifinal the Hawks would face the third-seeded Scarborough Sharks in a tough and dramatic re-match.
Halfway through the second period, with a 1-0 lead, the Hawks goalie, Meadow King, was forced to leave the game with an injury. With no backup goalie they had to either finish the game with no goalie and six skaters or scramble to get a skater into King's gear.
Grace Farr stepped up and got into the goalie gear to finish the game and with King's pads way too big for her and on the wrong legs she was barely able to stand up on her skates. The Sharks put on a push to get a quick shot on Grace and scored on the first shot to tie the game 1-1.
The Hawks clamped down defensively to limit the scoring chances and Grace Farr made a highlight reel glove save to keep the Hawks in the game. She raised her arms in celebration as her teammates and the crowd in the stands cheered in support. The Hawks were able to retake the lead at 5:23 of the third period and hang on until they got an empty netter with 1:29 remaining to secure a 3-1 lead and a spot in the championship game.
In the final, the Hawks would again face a tough opponent in another re-match with the No. 1-seeded Durham West Lightning. With a depleted lineup the Hawks would fight their way to a 0-0 tie after the first period.
After going down 2-0 in the second, the Hawks got a late period goal to get within one. The Lightning then scored two more goals in the third period to take a 4-1 and seemingly insurmountable lead.
The Hawks refused to give up and gutted out an epic third period comeback with three unanswered goals to tie the game with 1:44 remaining in regulation. The Lightning took a late penalty to give the Hawks a power play that would see them start the overtime period 5-on-4.
Unable to capitalize on the power play, the game then got back to the tournament's prescribed 4-on-4 overtime format. With 1:42 remaining in the overtime period the Hawks were able to score their fourth goal in a row to seal the victory 5-4.
The Hawks displayed absolute grit and determination and a full team effort to secure this gold medal and showed incredible teamwork and ability to overcome adversity over a challenging weekend.
The team would like to thank their families and fans who helped bring positive energy to the games all weekend. These Hawks also gained some local fans over the weekend who were sure to be there to watch the final game.
Team members include: Alia Martin, Alyssa Kanold, Annabelle Burton, Brooklyn Saunders, Caitlin Shaver, Darby Farrell, Erica Davey, Grace Farr, Julia Fyfe, Meadow King, Mickayla Eaton, Patience Commanda, Sarah Cardinell, Sierra Tryon, Syndey Sharpe and Tori Sawyer. Team staff are Jason Kanold, Brian Davey, Ryan Shaver and Gwenn Farrell.
