The Stittsville Minor Atom Rams team travelled a long way to North York this past weekend, and wouldn't leave without claiming their second tournament championship of the year, even if it meant doing it in triple overtime. That is exactly what it took to clip the wings of the Cambridge Hawks in a thrilling 3-2 overtime win.
On Friday, the Rams faced the Richmond Hill Stars, and emerged with a 3-2 victory after a hard-fought battle. Saturday's action saw two games, with the Rams facing the Ted Reeve Thunder in the morning, and the Toronto Royals in the afternoon. The Rams were able to handle these opponents without much trouble, taking 8-2 and 11-1 victories in these games. The three wins placed the Rams first in their division, allowing them to advance to Sunday morning's semi-final game, where they defeated their regular season opponents, the Osgoode-Rideau Romans, 9-3.
Despite the ease with which the Rams advanced to the final game, they knew that their opponent in the finals, the Cambridge Hawks, would be a tough challenge, as the Hawks had also swept their own division to reach the finals, and was rumoured to be a team that didn't lose often. The Rams started the game off a bit sluggish, perhaps due to a lengthy delay in the game starting time, and were down 2-1 after the second period. However, a goal late in the third tied it up at 2-2, where the score remained until the end of regulation. The overtime format was four minutes of 4 on 4, followed by 4 minutes of 3 on 3, then 20 minutes of 2 on 2, before going to a shootout. Despite never having played this format of overtime before, the Rams adapted well to the reduced lines, and both teams got several good scoring chances during the 4 on 4 and 3 on 3 overtime periods. However, solid goaltending at both ends and strong defensive play by the Rams kept the game tied, resulting in 2 on 2 overtime.
The Rams were now into the longest game they've played so far this season. The wide open ice surface resulted in end to end action, with both goalies seeing plenty of shots. By this time the arena was packed, with roaring crowds watching around the entire viewing area. The Rams got into some penalty trouble, allowing the Hawks to add an extra player, for a 3 on 2 power play. However, with some strong defence, and some heroic saves by goalie Carter Green, the Rams managed to kill off the penalty, and 2 on 2 play continued for some time, with neither team allowing any goals. Nearly 10 minutes into the sixth frame the Rams got a 3 on 2 power play of their own. After patiently passing the puck around and and keeping it from the Hawks, Rams forward Maxime Nadeau, who had 10 goals in the tournament, sealed the deal with a burst of speed and well placed shot.
Congratulations to the entire Minor Atom Rams team and coaching staff, for this hard-fought and hard won championship!
Players on the team include Johnny Bonnar, Daniel Brown, Evan Burgess, Mathieu Clavet, Adam Cybulski, Carter Green, Jack Lachance, Josh Lapointe, Liam MacDonald, Ben McGahan, Maxime Nadeau, James Pendlebury, Parker Petruniak, Jack Whiting, Hayden Yakabuski, Charlie Young, and Sammy Zeng.
Coaching staff includes Tim Bonnar (Head Coach), Jamie Whiting, Trevor Burgess, Shane Brown (assistant coaches), George Young (Goalie Coach), and Rich Petruniak (Trainer).
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