Jan 10, 2016 | iskinn | 1677 views
Sting Win International Silver Stick Championship
The Sarnia Sting Major Bantam MD team has captured the championship of the prestigious North American International Silver Stick Finals, which were held in St. Catherines, Ontario. The Sting were undefeated throughout the four day tournament which features teams from across North America.
The Sting qualified for the tournament by winning the regional qualifying tournament which was held in Chatham, Ontario this past December.
The Sting went undefeated in pool play with victories over Huntsville, Charlottesville (Virginia), and St. Marys. The Sting then moved on to the quarterfinals against the Strathroy Rockets managing a 9-3 victory which sent them onto Saturday's Semi Final.
On Saturday, the sting met up with the Barrie Colts. The Sting managed to jump out to an early 3-0 lead, however, they were given a scare when the Colts turned things up and tied the game in the third period. The Sting were able to take control late in the game bolstered by a highlight reel goal by Kaleb Zeytinoglu and managed a 6-4 victory. Spencer Baillie led the Sting attack this game recording a hat trick which propelled the Sting into Sunday's final.
The Sting then met the Brampton 45's in the championship final. The Sting set the pace early in the game with a blistering attack against the 45's. The 45's were kept in the game with spectacular play by their goaltender who consistently turned away the Sting attackers. The 45's managed to grab the lead in the game midway through the first period despite being outshot. The Sting, however, were undeterred and continued dictating the pace throughout the game managing to score the next two goals.
The 45's struck back once again managing to tie the game 2-2 frustrating the Sting who seemed to be in control of the game. The Sting's consistent, attacking, pace eventually wore down the 45's and the Sting managed to solve the stellar play of the 45's goaltender. The Sting then netted the next two and later grabbed an empty net goal capturing a 5-2 victory and the tournament championship. Zach Bressette led the Sting attack in the finals with a pair of goals with singles being added by Josh D'Angela, Andrew Czczurko, and Zack Moore.