Phoenix are OFSAA-bound
The Saint Francis Phoenix boys hockey team advanced to the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations AA championship Tuesday morning with a solid 6-1 victory over the Zone 4 champion Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs in the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association final at Canada Games Park.
“They played like we know they can,” Saint Francis head coach Dino Germano said.
The Phoenix won by cashing in on their chances.
“We have been doing that all year. These guys have been together long enough, they have won a lot of championships and they know what it takes to win,” he said.
Germano and the Saint Francis coaching staff realized they had a team that could qualify for OFSAA after winning last year’s Niagara Catholic Athletic Association.
“We knew that there were 16 (players) coming back. We were .500 last year but they came together and after that we started talking about being able to got to OFSAA.
“This year’s goal was to win SOSSA and medal at OFSAA but I think now that we are going to reevaluate that and may be shoot for gold.”
The team’s unity makes it special.
“It is a brotherhood and it’s the willingness to make a sacrifice for another person.”
Germano feels his team needs to do a number of things in order to be successful at OFSAA.
“We have to stay out of the penalty box, we have to get good goaltending and solid D and let our forwards do their thing like they have been doing all year.”
Leading the way for the Phoenix will be team captain Nolan Freel.
“He’s a great captain and we selected him right at the beginning of the year,” Germano said. “He is excellent in the changeroom, he gets the boys ready for every game but, most importantly, he wants to win. That is why he is our captain.”
The 17-year-old, who used to play St. Catharines Falcons AA hockey before switching to CYO house league, has a long history with the Phoenix.
“I have been at the school all four years and I have been on the team since Grade 9. In Grade 11, I was the assistant captain.”
The Grade 12 student, who had a goal and an assist in Tuesday’s SOSSA final, is under no illusion that he is a star on his team.
“As a role player, I am out here to block shots and kill penalties. I am not a top goal scorer but the boys get the job done.”
Those boys have a lot of talent.
“We’ve got triple A, double A and single A players. You name it, we’ve got it,” Freel said. “We’ve got four great lines and 25 good players. We are looking to go all the way.”
The team has been building since last season.
“We were always a good team last year but we couldn’t pull it all together,” he said. “We won the NCAA championship but COVID came once again. This year, after the first tournament, we knew we had something.”
Freel feels the biggest difference in the Phoenix compared to last year is maturity.
“We were young last year. Our team was Grade 9s and 10s, a couple of Grade 11s and two Grade 12s. This year we are mostly a senior team.”
There are also a few other reasons for the team’s success.
“We battle and we are a like a family,” he said. “We have really gelled together this season with two tournament wins and we are looking to keep it going.”
Freel is thrilled to finally get a chance to go to OFSAA.
“It is definitely the greatest high school experience. Everyone dreams of winning OFSAA. Going there is one thing but we are obviously going there to win it.”
The loss by Churchill was the result of an inability of it to capitalize on its chances. The Bulldogs were 0-4 on the power play, came up empty on a number of breakaways and had a number pucks slide through the crease.
“In my opinion, it really wasn’t a 6-1 game,” Churchill head coach Dave Kamatovic said. “We had our chances to pressure but their goalie stood tall and they capitalized on their chances. We had a couple defensive letdowns in our own end too but that’s the way the hockey goes.”
The loss doesn’t detract from a fine season for the Bulldogs.
“We had an undefeated (Niagara Region High School Athletic Association) season so I am super proud of our guys,” Kamatovic said. “We are a young team and we have a lot of Grade 9s and they stepped up and played well.”
He is excited for the team’s future.
“Moving forward, I think we have a good foundation of young guys and our goaltending is going to be solid again next year.”
STATS PACK
PHOENIX 6 BULLDOGS 1
Cat’s Caboose Player of the Game: St. Francis goalie John Rootes with 21 saves.
For the Saint Franic Phoenix: Marcus Harris (2); Nolan Freel; Jordan Marconi; Matthew Hitchcock; Zachary Gillespie.
For the Sir Winston Churchill Bulldogs: Ryan Robillard.
Game stats: Shots on goal: By Saint Francis on Owen Cooper 9-10-8=27; by Churchill on Rootes 9-6-7=22. Penalty minutes: Saint Francis 8, Churchill 4. Power plays: Saint Francis 1-2, Churchill 0-4.
Up next: Saint Francis advances to the OFSAA AA championships March 21-23 in St. Catharines.
