For the first time since 2013, the Oakville Rangers have captured the OHL Cup and are U16 champions.
The Rangers defeated the Vaughn Kings by a score of 1-0 on Saturday afternoon at Toronto’s Mattamy Athletic Center winning the trophy they have coveted since training camp began back in the fall.
Once the game began at 2 p.m. it was a constant back-and-forth affair with both teams trying to score the all-important first goal of the game. But you could tell that both teams were nervous and didn’t want to make a major mistake that would cost their team a goal or potentially two.
At the end of the first period, the score was still 0-0 and both teams headed into the first intermission still looking for a goal.
The second period looked very similar to the first, both teams were gripping their sticks a little too tight and everyone was too afraid to make a mistake.
Vaughn was looking like the better team and was outshooting Oakville by several shots but Oakville’s stud goaltender Jake Ceranic was up to the task as he stopped all shots he faced in the second period and eventually the entire game.
Oakville still needed a goal - and they capitalized on the first mistake of the game. Vaughn took a penalty near the end of the period and the Rangers went to the power play.
On that power play, Oakville’s Christian Armstrong sent a beautiful pass to Matthew Ross, with Ross finding the back of the Vaughn Kings net to score the first goal of the game and give the Rangers the 1-0.
Oakville took that lead into the third period and did not look back, they played an excellent structured game and were helped out tremendously by Jake Ceranic and they killed the clock to capture the coveted OHL Cup trophy by a score of 1-0.
This trophy means everything to this team: “It’s so surreal,” said goal-scorer Matthew Ross. “We love each other so much [and] we have been working for this since day one.”
This championship was the last time these players would have to be a team. After this year, all players will either go play in the OHL or several other junior leagues across the country.
But they will always be connected by this moment that they achieved together.