The Ontario Power Generation Midgets traveled to the Niagara
Region to participate in the Henderson's Pharmacy Tournament in Thorold
December 27-29.
Game one in the preliminary round saw the Storm get out to a
quick 2-0 lead against the Welland Tigers. Braden Kelly scored assisted by Josh
Stewart and Ben Walker. Ryan Crosetta stole the puck and passed to Cole Farrish
for the second Storm goal. Welland’s Darcy Muller tallied a hat trick to power
the Tigers to a 4-3 win. Kelly was the player of the game with 2G.
The team got on track in game two with a 9-2 win against
Thorold Vision. Captain Ryan Crosetta received the player of the game with 2
goals and a helper. Farrish chipped in four assists. Brady Conley took the win
in net while Kelly added a hat trick.
Game three versus Thorold Henderson was a must win to secure a spot in the semi-final. Carter Swanson, Evan Lovering, Ben Walker and Jake Greig provided the defence while Crosetta scored at the 5 minute mark of the first. Taylor Cameron scored the winner in the third period and the Storm held on to take a 2-1 win behind strong goaltending by Richard Besito. Austin Henry’s strong two-way play earned him the player of the game award. Chris Gilbert and Austin Morris thwarted the Blackhawks with a constant fore check. The team finished first in Pool B and would move on to the semi-final against Dorchester.
In the semi, the Storm faced Dorchester. The Dragons, unbeaten in the regular season, were down early on Kelly’s goal, assisted by Swanson and Crosetta’s goal assisted by Kelly and Farrish. However, Dorchester scored 3 second period goals to take a 3-2 lead into the final frame. Farrish tied the game up with a late unassisted power play goal. The 10 minute overtime solved nothing. With a trip to the final on the line, Kelly and Stewart made good on their shoot out attempts and Brady Conley stopped 4 of 5 Dragon shooters on his way to the player of the game award.
The final was a rematch against the host Thorold Blackhawks. Chris Gilbert led the Storm with his energetic play at both ends of the rink. Cole Farrish grabbed another loose puck and potted another unassisted goal (the puck is always loose when Cole is around). The Storm exchanged leads with the Hawks with second period goals by Braden Kelly, assisted by Crosetta and Carter Swanson, assisted by Morris. Josh Stewart notched the winner with 3 minutes left and Besito kept the net clean enough to garner the MVP. The Saugeen Shores Ontario Power Generation Midgets are 2013 Thorold Tournament Champions. The team now looks to hold on to first place in the WOAA North and head into the playoffs on a high note.