Eight of the province’s top AAA peewee hockey teams are going for gold at the 2018 Ontario Winter Games.
The competition began Thursday when the Barrie Colts battled the Mississauga Braves in the tournament’s opening game. It was not the start the Colts had hoped for as the Braves dominated the fast-paced contest at the Rama MASK, the headquarters for hockey, which is one of 25 sports being contested as part of the 2018 provincial competition.
Late in the first period, Mississauga was up 1-0 and looking potent on the power-play. The Colts killed off the penalty and were looking to find momentum from the kill only to see the Braves score a back-breaking goal with nine ticks left on the clock. Then, the Braves struck again, in the first minute of the second and were soon up 4-0 and running away with the game.
If not for some solid goaltending from Barrie netminder Ashton Shaw, the score could have been much worse as the Braves’ high-tempo offence and persistent pressure were too much for the Colts to handle.
Each of the eight teams competing at the MASK are regular season champions from their respective districts. Barrie and Mississauga are in Pool A along with Hamilton and Kitchener. In Pool B, teams from Sun County, Nickel City, Thunder Bay and Ottawa are facing off.
The top two teams in each pool will advance to the semi-finals, slated for Saturday night at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. The bronze medal game will be played Sunday at 9 a.m. with the championship game slated for noon.
Admission to all sports and all venues is free throughout the weekend, thanks to support from sponsors.
