Ball hockey players battle for top spot

The under-18 players squared off on July 3-5 for the Summer Classic Senior title at Cumberland’s RJ Kennedy Arena. The event featured four elite teams comprised of the best competitive players from Cumberland, Orléans, Gloucester, Ottawa, Kanata, Rockland and Gatineau.

The two-time defending tournament champions, the Razors, coached by Peter Burnet of Gatineau, finished first during the six-game double round-robin with a record of 4-0-2, followed by the Mustangs, coached by Bill Garbarino of Orléans, at 3-2-1. The Brotherhood and Devils, meanwhile, finished third and fourth in round-robin play.

No team clearly established themselves as a favourite for the title going into the medal round, however. In the first semi-final the Razors played a near flawless game and beat the Devils 6-0. Meanwhile, the Brotherhood upset the Mustangs 3-1 behind the great goaltending of Chris Kelly, who stopped 22 of 23 shots.

The Devils rebounded during the third-place game squeezing by the Mustangs 3-2.

The championship game turned into an intense all-out battle between the Razors and the Brotherhood, with the Brotherhood getting the lead twice and the Razors rebounding to tie the score. At the mid-point during the second half, Miguel Laurin of the Brotherhood scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal, assisted by Alex Martin and Jamie Molinski.

As the clock counted the final five minutes of play, the Razors pressed for the tying goal and were repeatedly denied. The Brotherhood held on for a hard-fought 3-2 win to claim a second 2009 Summer Classic championship for coach Frank Kelly.

The nailbiter tournament was the second this season, with players 15 and under competing June 26-28 for the Ottawa Ball Hockey Summer Classic Junior title. That tournament also saw four teams comprised of the area’s best competitive players vie for top spot.

In the semi-finals, Brotherhood II, coached by Frank Kelly and Bob Belding of Orléans, bested the Panthers, coached by Keith Critch of Orléans, 7-2. The Ottawa Blues Ball Hockey Association (OBBHA) team, coached by Gloucester-based Jason Provost, got by the Mark Grantham’s Coyotes 7-5 in the second semi-final game.

Brotherhood II won the title in a tense and tightly-contested tournament final, squeezing by the OBBHA team 1-0 in the championship game. The final featured great skill and top notch goaltending from both teams.

“Game after game was described as ‘the best yet’ by everyone I spoke with, so kudos to all involved,” said Peter Burnet, tournament director. “It was great to see such a fine turn out of Ottawa’s best ball hockey players, including several from the east end. Congratulations to all of the players for putting on an all-around amazing display of skill, passion and discipline.”

-- By Bill Gabarino, Ottawa Blues Hockey Association