Note: The game consisted of three twenty-minute periods. Kevin O’Connor 29 shots / 28 saves
February 29-March 1Spartans Go 3-0 in Quebec City!Sadly, the team traveled to Quebec City for our last road trip of the season. Although the trip was fantastic from a cultural and hockey perspective, it unfortunately also signalled that our season is coming to an end. We faced off against a fast-skating and well-coached team from Academie St-Louis on both Friday and Saturday. We began a little slowly but soon got our wheels moving, so to speak, and were able to come back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 on Friday night. Jesse Halikas netted the game-winning goal after Jean-Philippe Vinet evened things up short-handed. It wasn’t pretty but we got the job done after a long road trip and time away from Prep competition. The stellar play of Andrew Smith and goaltender Logan Vanasse certainly didn’t go unnoticed, for Andrew played well in both ends of the ice and Logan stopped two key breakaways to earn the win. Saturday afternoon was a rematch game, and the boys showed up from the opening faceoff controlling the tempo and dictating the play from start to finish. Once Ryan Bedard gave the team a 1-0 lead, hometown boy Pierre-Olivier Jean fired home a rocket in the slot that left the goalie wondering where the puck was. Pierre-Olivier then put the game away by scoring his second goal of the game in an empty net. The entire team put on a much better performance today and goaltender Kevin O’Connor closed the door kicking out 23 saves for the shutout. Sunday afternoon was without a doubt the most challenging game of the season. The team played a strong and fast skating CEGEP group from Ste-Foye College. The game was incredibly fast-paced and played with a great deal of energy and emotion on both sides. The boys were poised for a strong match but ended up getting scored against on the very first shift. We then settled things down and tied the score at one goal apiece when Ryan Bedard fired home a power-play goal half-way through the period. The game was then up and down until the Dynamique took a 2-1 lead near the end of the second period on a breakaway goal. However, we never let up and battled our way back in the third when Julian Perrotta banged home the equalizer with only seven minutes remaining in the third period. Moments later, Jean-Philippe Vinet scored what proved to be the winning goal off a key in-zone face-off. CEGEP Ste-Foye made a final push but were unable to put the game into overtime. The team played an outstanding hockey game and senior goaltender Cedric Moore stopped 31 shots to earn a huge victory for the team. Being a Quebec City native, this victory was particularly important for Cedric. Congratulations on an excellent road trip boys! It’s now time to get ready for National Sports Academy this Saturday and Sunday. This will be an especially memorable weekend for all of you seniors. Enjoy the final week guys. It’s has been another terrific ride. Friday, February 29
Note: The game consisted of three eighteen-minute periods. Logan Vanasse 27 shots / 25 saves
Saturday, March 1
Note: The game consisted of three eighteen-minute periods. Kevin O’Connor 23 shots / 23 saves
Sunday, March 2
Note: The game consisted of three eighteen-minute periods. Cedric Moore 33 shots / 31 saves
Wednesday, February 27ETIAC playoff champs! SC 9 Alexander Galt High School 4
Note: The game consisted of three fifteen minute periods. Logan Vanasse 27 shots / 23 saves
February 21-22Spartans three-peat as AAESQ Provincial Champions
Last Thursday and Friday the team travelled to Greenfield Park, Quebec to play in the Graham Neil High School Provincial Hockey Tournament. The expectations were high considering that Stanstead had won the past two championships and three of the last four. However, the boys were poised, healthy and ready for the challenge. In the first game, we matched up against host Centennial and managed to win the quarter-final convincingly by a score of 7-0. We played four lines from start to finish and got production from virtually everyone. In particular, the line of John Conlin, Anthony Fyfe-Miller and Michael Sinnott played exceptionally well by scoring three goals. Miller banged home one, while Sinnott scored two and Conlin earned two helpers. We then faced off against Alexander Galt High School in the semi-finals. The game proved to be one of the most exciting match-ups of the season and offered tremendous excitement for the fans. Andrew Smith fired home the go-ahead goal early in the first period on a solid pass from Pierre-Olivier Jean but Galt quickly replied with a powerplay goal to even the score at one goal apiece before the end of the first. The second and third period were virtually played in Galt’s zone, for we controlled the tempo and play all game but just couldn’t beat their red hot goalie. Essentially, we shot 65 times but Fontaine closed the door and put on one of the most outstanding goaltender performances in recent memory. The third period ended with much frustration on our part and almost an utter sense of total despondence. However, we kept the boys going and told them to keep doing what they were doing and eventually good things would happen. Overtime proved to be quite entertaining with the three-on-three format. We began with a few solid chances but once again couldn’t score. Galt then went up ice on a great transitional rush and everyone just had a sense the game was over. Fortunately for us, junior goaltender Logan Vanasse had other plans and shut the door on Galt’s rare but dangerous chances. The play then shifted with junior Chad Bombardier’s stretch pass up the middle to captain Alex Gagnon-Sckoropad. Alex received the pass and blew by the Galt defenseman to create a breakaway and eventually score the winning goal on an absolutely gorgeous move. The team jumped off the bench and all breathed a huge sigh of relief. The championship final was an ideal confrontation between the GMAA and ETIAC League champions. Stanstead had not played against Lower Canada College since 2005 and eagerly awaited the opportunity to earn its third consecutive AAESQ title. LCC began the game strong and controlled the play for the first four minutes of play. Fortunately for us, goaltender Kevin O’Connor was in fine form and blocked three huge scoring chances in the early moments. Although LCC’s tenacious forecheck gave us problems we eventually took over the game by utilizing our speed and puck movement. The first goal of the contest was set-up by senior Andrew Smith on a short-handed situation enabling Ryan Bedard to score on a nifty breakaway move. We then added two more goals in the early stages of the second period when Olivier Charette and Jean-Philippe Vinet banged home goals of their own to give the team a 3-0 lead. LCC came back in the game early in the third to bring the score to 3-1 but we were able to withstand a late surge and eventually win the contest by a score of 4-1. A special mention goes to defenseman Nickolas Lapointe who was named to the tournament all-star team, as well as senior captain Alex Gagnon-Sckoropad for being named the tournament most valuable player for the second year in a row.
Thursday, February 21, 12:00 p.m. Quarter-Final HARD-HAT AWARD : Michael Sinnott
Note: The game consisted of three fifteen minute periods. Cedric Moore 7 shots / 7 saves
Friday, February 22, 10:00 a.m. Semi-Final HARD HAT AWARD : Alex Gagnon-Sckoropad
Note: The game consisted of three fifteen minute periods. Logan Vanasse 10 shots / 9 saves
Friday, February 22, 3:00 p.m. FINAL HARD HAT AWARD: Olivier Charette
Note: The game consisted of three fifteen minute periods. Kevin O’Connor 26 shots / 25 saves
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All in all this was a sound team victory! We thank all the parents and friends that attended the tournament, for your support was really appreciated. CONGRATULATIONS BOYS!!! You showed tremendous character and should be proud of your accomplishment.