The Muskoka Kia U15 AE team from the South Muskoka Minor Hockey Association won the Muskoka Parry Sound/Georgian Bay Tier 3 Regional Championship this past weekend.
In a year where the U15 Tier 3 Division has been extremely close and competitive, every team knew they had a chance to win the regional championships. After the round robin portion of the playoffs, the Muskoka Kia South Muskoka U15 AE Bears were ranked 2nd heading into the final tournament. In the semi-finals, the Bears faced off against the South Grey Spartan Rep team.
South Muskoka came out hard and built to a 3-0 lead, but South Grey pushed back to 3-2 at the end of the second period. Early in the third period, captain Ethan Boland regained the momentum for good to put them away 4-2.
In the championship final, a trip to Windsor for the OMHA Red Hat Championships was on the line. The South Muskoka Bears and their arch rivals the Orillia Terriers were ready. Orillia drew first blood, but the Bears responded quickly to tie it at one.
It was fast and well-played, with several thunderous hits, good plays and great saves. South Muskoka inched ahead 2-1, but Orillia tied it at 2 before the end of the second. At the intermission, the boys knew they would all need to be at their best to get it done.
The Bears struck first in the third to take the lead with Kellan Shaw’s hat trick goal – the excitement in the rink was palpable. Orillia dug in and tied it, and then with 5 minutes to go, took the lead. Coach Curtis Livingstone took a timeout and refocused the crew.
With under 2 minutes left, the Bears tied the game. The first 10-minute overtime solved nothing. The second overtime was well underway when assistant captain Palmer Boyde backhanded a rebound over the the sprawled Orillia goaltender for the win.
The Bears will compete at the OMHA Championships in Windsor from April 8 to 10. Click here to read more local sports updates.
