What a performance! With contributions from everyone on the team, the Oakville Rangers Under 15 AAA rep team won the Toronto Marlboros Holiday Classic Tournament from Dec. 27 to 30. The team went 8-0 and outscored their opponents 38-6, dominating the entire tournament and coming home champs!
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Here is a game-by-game (in order) quick summary of the tournament.
- Toronto Red Wings (Won 3-0) outshot them 31-9.
- Clarington Toros (Won 11-1) outshot them 61-5.
- London Knights (Won 4-2) outshot them 30-23.
- Ottawa Myers (Won 3-0) outshot them 35-9.
- Round of 16 Playoffs vs Oshawa Generals (Won 6-2), outshot them 20-6.
- Quarter Finals vs Upper Canada Cyclones (Won 5-0), outshot them 36-23.
- Semi-Finals vs Whitby Wildcats (Won 2-1). They were down 1-0 going into the 3rd period; they scored with under 7 mins left in the game to tie it and then with 0.5 seconds left to win it. Outshot them 25-15.
- Finals vs Halton Hurricanes (Won 4-0), outshot them 33-5.
This is just another demonstration of the winning style of teamwork this group has put together.
"This is a really tight-knit group," says coach Mike DeRenzis. "Everything they do is as a team, not as individuals, and that's the key to their success."
- This is the second big tournament they have won, as they also won the Toronto Red Wings Early Bird tournament, going 7-0 there.
- The team is currently 22-0 in the regular season, outscoring opponents 104-14.
- The team plays home games on Mondays at 7:50 pm at Sixteen Mile (2).
The scoring blow-by-blow:
- Opening game vs Red Wings - Belchetz, Carey and Croskery scored the goals. Maks Corovic had the shutout for the Rangers to give them a solid start to Day 1.
- In the next game later that day vs Calrington, Jaxson Harismowich had a hat-trick, with Headrick (2), Armstrong (short-handed), Ross and Williams all contributing their first goals of the tournament. At the same time, Belchetz and Carey kept their goal-scoring streaks going. Schmidt, McConnell, Low, Greene, and Najda all recorded their first points of the tournament.
- In game 3 vs London, Headrick had a pair of goals, including the opening goal 11 seconds into the game on a nifty pass by Brooks. Najda had a pair of assists, with Belchetz scoring the winner short-handed and Carey adding the insurance marker on the PP with 7 mins left.
- In the final game of the round robin, trying to secure the #1 seed heading into the playoff round, dominated Ottawa Myers Automotive, outshooting them 35-9 and winning 3-0, which solidified the #1 seed in the conference with a 4-0 record with 21 goals for to 3 goals against in the round robin. Jake Ceranic had his first shutout in the win.
- In the round of 16 Playoffs, facing Oshawa, the Power Play was firing on all cylinders, going 3 for 3, as the Rangers won 6-2, advancing to the Quarter Finals against a very good Upper Canada Cyclones team later that evening.
- Against Upper Canada, Ceranic weathered the storm early as Oakville was outshot 10-4 in the first period, though it led 1-0 heading into the Zamboni break. A flood between the first and second periods allowed the team to make some adjustments as they came out flying, scoring 45 seconds into the period. Adding two more in that period, including the first goal of the tournament for Gelinas, the Rangers outshot their opponents 20-2 in the second period, allowing them to go on cruise control for a 5-0 final. This would see Oakville moving on to early-morning semi-finals against a successful Whitby team who knocked off the host Toronto Marlboros and one of the top USA teams in Detroit Little Caesars.
- In the semis, the Rangers would face the most adversity they saw all week, trailing for their first time in the tournament, as they saw themselves down 1-0 mid-way through the game. With only 7 minutes left in the game, and still down 1-0, it was an excellent net-drive by Brooks that allowed Carey to bat home the rebound and get the tides turning for the Rangers. Though only giving up 15 shots against in the game, the Rangers saw themselves in a 1-1 game with the seconds winding down. With only 3.5 seconds left on the clock, Headrick won a corner battle, sent the puck to Belchetz in the slot for a quick shot, and Callum Croskery drove the net from his blueline and put in the rebound with 0.5 seconds left on the clock, sending the Rangers to the championship.
- In the championship, the Rangers met SCTA league-rivals Halton Hurricanes, who had knocked off a fast and skilled #6 ranked in Ontario, Kingston Jr Gaels team, 2-0. The Rangers proved too much for Halton, winning 5-0, extending Jake Ceranic's 3-game shutout streak, and completing the end to a dominating tournament for the U15 AAA Rangers.
- This is the second big GTHL tournament the Rangers have won this season, as they also went undefeated, 7-0, winning the Toronto Red Wings Early Bird to start the season, knocking off the Toronto Jr. Canadiens in the semi's and the North York Rangers in the finals. In the regular season, the Rangers are currently 22-0, outscoring their opponents 104-14 to date. The Rangers hope this is just the start, as they recognize they need to continue to get better each day, as they have their sights set on the difficult task of winning an OMHA Gold Medal to advance to the OHF Finals in April - a championship which only occurs every two seasons - and Covid-19 shut down the last time OHF's were possible for their age group 2 years ago.
Oakville Rangers U15 AAA Roster:
1 Maks Corovic; 29 Jacob Ceranic; 4 Ben Gelinas; 8 David Greene; 11 Greg Najda; 14 Jaxson Harismowich; 15 Jonny Brooks; 17 Callum Croskery; 19 Brady McConnell; 21 Jake Williams; 44 Ryder Carey; 52 Teddy Low; 61 Ethan Belchetz; 72 Gabriel Schmidt; 81 Evan Headrick; 82 Matthew Ross; 92 Christian Armstrong; Head Coach - Mike DeRenzis; Assistant - Dominic DeRenzis; Assistant - Ryan DeRenzis; Assistant - Tyler Stothers; Goalie Coach - Joey Lepera; Trainer - Brooke Maida
With the help of their teammates and coaches, these players put on the finishing touches with some of the goals and assists:
- Ethan Belchetz (17 points) earned the MVP of the Tournament Award
- Ryder Carey (11 points) led the team with 8 goals scored
- Callum Croskery (9 points) led our defensemen in points
- Jaxson Harismowich, Matthew Ross, Evan Headrick and Greg Najda with 9 points each.
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