The U11AA Trappers finished the season on top just like they have for much of their successful 2022-23 season.
The DESCON Construction North Bay Trappers U11AA capped off a historic season on Sunday capturing the NOHA Tournament of Champions. At the beginning of the year, this team created numerous goals, with the pinnacle of their year being the NOHA Tournament of Champions.
The team, along with NBMHA, hosted the event, which was mostly played at Pete Palangio Arena over the course of three days.
The team opened up their weekend with a 11-1 win over the Timmins North Stars before setting up for a “Fill the Barn” game versus their rivals the Soo Jr. Greyhounds. The Friday night game was a controversial game, with the local team seeing 26 penalty minutes compared to 2 penalty minutes for the Jr. Greyhounds.
Despite still outshooting the Jr. Greyhounds 34-28, the Trappers suffered a 5-4 defeat, which led them into the Saturday of the tournament.
On Saturday, the young Trappers were victorious in their game versus the Nickel City Sons with a final tally of 6-1. The team then played a closer-than-expected game against the Copper Cliff Reds, coming out on top 5-3 and setting up a semi-final contest against the Nickel City Sons.
The semi-final contest started out a bit slow, then saw a flurry of goals from both sides. The teams went into the 2nd intermission tied at 6-6. Despite the great effort by the Sons, the Trappers completed their quest to the final winning the game 12-7.
The finals saw vehicles parked up and down Wallace Road, and the packed Pete Palangio Arena came to watch these two top ranked teams out of 80 AA teams in Ontario put on a show and battle for their right to supremacy.
The opening frame saw lots of pressure from both teams, with the goaltenders keeping their sheets clean heading in to the second period. Early in the second period, the Jr. Greyhounds opened the scoring, with the Trappers responding just 9 seconds later. The teams went in to the second intermission with the Trappers up 3-1 and hoping to hold off the powerhouse Soo Jr. Greyhounds offence. Early in the third period, the Trappers adding a fourth goal, which they hoped was enough to keep the Greyhounds away from victory. With no surprise to anyone, the Jr. Greyhounds would not give up, scoring two goals within a minute of the Trappers’ fourth, to setup up an exciting and entertaining final few minutes. With everyone on the edge of their seats, the Trappers held on, adding an empty net goal with just seconds left on the clock to see the championship final ending in a 5-3 win.
The DESCON Construction North Bay Trappers U11AA completed what is certainly to be remembered as nothing short of a very impressive season. The team opened up their season with a strong showing at the Oshawa AAA Showcase, and then followed that up with winning the U11AA Silver Stick Regional tournament in Sudbury, the Barrie U11AA Glenn Bellerby Memorial tournament and also capturing the prestigious International Silver Stick tournament in Sarnia with most of the best U11AA teams traveling from all over North America.
“Winning the TOCs against our rivals, the Soo Jr. Greyhounds, was the perfect ending to an unforgettable season," said head coach Justin Carré.
"We were underdogs going into the finals, but the boys put together a complete team effort and proved that they are the best U11AA team in the province. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this talented and relentless group of kids.”
Team Roster: Jordan Adekoya, Ari Anello, Ben Belfitt, Colton Brunette, Sam Carré, Mac Degagne, Hudson Demeis, Liam De Jourdan, Landon Forsyth, Sawyer Gedanitz, Jacob Krajci, Jordon Moore, Rylan Ringler, Jackson Ross, Campbell Stickland, Graham Twigg and Noah Walkling.
Coaching Staff: Justin Carré (Head Coach), Wade Ringler (Assistant Coach), Shawn Degagne (Assistant Coach), MJ De Jourdan (Trainer) and Kris Anello (General Manager).
