Gryphons capture first SOSSA crown
It’s a good bet no one enjoyed the Greater Fort Erie Secondary School Gryphons’ first SOSSA A/AA boys hockey championship more than Zac Briggs.
The 17-year-old, Grade 12 student is the lone graduating skater on the Gryphons and couldn’t contain his excitement after receiving his Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association medal Tuesday.
“I’m just so happy,” Briggs screamed after the Gryphons topped McKinnon Park in the 4-1 in the final held at the Seymour-Hannah Sports Complex. “It’s crazy.”
The Gryphons now move on to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations A/AA championships which will be held in St. Catharines beginning Wednesday, March 25.
“A buddy of ours, his dad works at OFSAA, and he said 1.3 per cent of student-athletes make it (to OFSAA),” Briggs said. “It’s pretty cool.”
Briggs couldn’t think of a better way to wrap up his high school hockey career.
“OFSAA is always the end goal. We wanted to at least get here (SOSSA) and see what happens.”
Fort Erie head coach Mike Briggs was thrilled to see it all come together for his team.
“When we got together in October, this was the goal,” he said. “I said to them coming out tonight we’re one step away from the goal, and that was to get to OFSAA.”
The Gryphons lost in overtime at SOSSA last year and were eliminated by Saint Mike’s two years ago.
“This was kind of the year,” he said. “We had some young guys on the back end and we weren’t 100 per cent sure, but this was the goal.”
McKinnon Park jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead with a goal less than a minute in before the Gryphons settled down.
“Other than the first two shifts when we looked like we were going to get blown out, they composed themselves and were a pleasure to coach,” Mike Briggs said.
Landon Lamb-Ward, Owen Kelly, Zane Gilmore and Josh Bourdon scored for the Gryphons.
The Gryphons advanced to the finals in dramatic fashion when they topped the Lakeshore Catholic Gators 5-4 in overtime in the semifinals.
“We tied with 10 seconds left and goalie out and then won it early in overtime,” Mike Briggs said. “It was a real nice effort.”
Mike Briggs said once that game was done, the effort quickly turned to the final.
“We said that was step one and we can’t worry about it. That was the plan the whole time through.”
Blake Train’s second of the game tied things up before Bourdon won it in overtime. Nolan Stickland, Kelly and Kyle Adamo also scored.
Jack Moorman, Noah Cuizian, Jack Benner, Tyler Ishwood and Ethan Culp replied for the Gators.
In the other semifinal, the Eden Flyers dropped a 6-2 decision to McKinnon Park.
Hunter Willis and Jordan Marconi scored for the Flyers.
“We had some injuries to some key people and in the first period we had two of our players go down,” Eden coach Wayne Chapman said. “One of our main D was already hurt and then two of our forwards got hurt.”
The Flyers captured the Zone 4 title in their first season back in hockey after two years to qualify for SOSSA.
“It was a giant step,” Chapman said.
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