Tigers on track
The Ridley College Tigers prep boys hockey team has taken the first step in its quest for a triple crown.
The Tigers captured the Midwest Prep Hockey League championship for the second year in a row and fourth time in five years.
Ridley went into the championship weekend in Buffalo as the favourite on the heels of a 12-2-0-1 record in the regular season.
The Tigers topped Shady Side Academy from Pittsburgh 7-3 in their first game before a history-making semifinal win over Gilmour Academy from Gates Mills, OH.
The Tigers rallied from a 2-0 deficit to knock off Gilmour 3-2 in quadruple overtime in a game that clocked in at 3:45. St. Catharines resident and Niagara IceDogs prospect A.J. Cook collected his own blocked shot rebound and beat the Lancers goaltender short side to end the longest game in school history. Matt Keeley made 42 saves in the historic victory.
“It was an epic game,” Ridley coach Mike McCourt said. “We definitely deserved to win. Our goalie was great and their goalie was great.
“It was back and forth. We played at the Harbour Centre and it was packed and everybody kind of migrated in to watch the end of it.”
The Tigers then blanked Stanstead College from Quebec 3-0 in the championship final.
“It was a quick turnaround,” McCourt said. “You don’t know how they’re going to respond the next day, but it was probably our best game of the weekend. We had a ton of energy and (were) playing on adrenaline and excitement.
“We beat them 1-0 in finals last year. It was almost a mirror image of what last year’s championship game was like.”
The Tigers didn’t have a lot of time to savour the championship as they had to quickly turn their attention to the Canadian Independent Schools Athletic Association (CISAA) best-of-three final versus St. Andrews of Aurora.
Game 1 is Friday in Aurora with Game 2 Saturday at Ridley at Noon.
“I think St. Andrews will be a huge test,” McCourt said. “They have a lot of skill. We’re confident going in. We know it’s going to be a pretty intense series.”
McCourt feels the Tigers are peaking at the right time.
“We’re playing our best hockey of the year now and we’re winning the right way,” he said. “Playoffs are tight checking and not a lot of space and we’ve had a lot of guys step up. It’s harder hockey. We’re not giving up a lot.”
McCourt lauded three unsung heroes — Jacob Lutwyche, Connor Childerhose and Christian Ferrante — for their efforts.
“There are some guys who have flown under the radar and done some things that have gone unnoticed,” McCourt said. “Those guys have simplified their games and are playing playoff hockey.”
Following this weekend, the Tigers round out their season at the National Independent School Invitational championship March 8-11 in Toronto and Aurora. The Tigers are ranked No. 2 and St. Andrews No. 1.
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