The Reimar Forming Bantam AE Avalanche crossed one season
goal off their list in winning the Gold Medal at the Caledonia Challenge Cup.
The Avalanche advanced through the tournament in unbeaten, albeit not easy, fashion. In the process, this motivated team of young men improved their unbeaten streak in regulation time to an impressive 18 games!
Ancaster took on the Hamilton Spitfires on Thursday night. A sub-par effort by the Av’s made a tournament victory look doubtful. However the Ancaster team was able to escape with a 1-1 tie.
Friday saw the boys escape from the clutches of defeat with goals from James Balardo and Zachary Martins in the final 1:25 to tie the Merriton Bulldogs 3-3. Friday’s second game was an easier affair with Ancaster taking it to Lincoln Blades 5-0 and earning a trip to the semi-finals.
A rematch with the tough Merriton team was on the schedule for Saturday’s semi-final. Ancaster dominated play early but the Merriton goaltender kept things interesting. Despite trailing 2-1 late, Matthew Carobelli fired a change up into the back of the net for a 2-2 tie. Overtime saw Ancaster have chances but they could not pull out the victory. A shootout was to be the decider. Francois Guay-Marceau put Ancaster in a chance to win only to see Merriton tie up the shootout. Matthew Carobelli was inches from winning the game when the goal post got in the way. Joey Steinbach’s aggressive goaltending meets UFC style prolonged matters just long enough for Andre Missios to put the 4th shot past the Merritton goalie for victory and set up a rematch with the Spitfires.
Ancaster started sluggishly in the final but a Matthew Carobelli shot appeared to blast right through the Spitfire goalies chest for a 1-0 lead. With some confidence and a lead, goaltender Quinn Pitts shut the door and Ancaster’s strong team play allowed them to cruise to a 4-0 championship game victory and take home the trophy!