Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Down a goal, a minute left to play, with six skaters on the ice for an offensive zone face-off, the NDSS Golden Hawks boys hockey team had all the ingredients for a thrilling comeback in Wednesday’s KASSAA finals.
Unfortunately for them there was no storybook ending as the La Salle Black Knights held on for the 3-2 victory and hoisted the KASSAA trophy in the middle of Kingston’s Invista Centre.
“I thought we played well, I wouldn’t do anything any different,” said Hawks head coach Jeff Birchard. “We got our shot right at the end with a minute to go, face-off in their end. That’s what you dream of trying to finish up the game. We had our chance.”
Napanee never led in the game but twice rallied to tie. La Salle opened the scoring with an odd man rush goal in the first.
NDSS captain Corbin Gibson skates through centre and into the offensive zone. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
That score held until the second when Owen Gibson was sent in all alone by Ben Albright. Gibson patiently waited out the La Salle goalie and tucked the puck around him as he came out of his crease in an effort to poke check.
La Salle responded with a power-play goal late in the second to take the 2-1 lead heading into the final intermission.
The Knights had a chance to put the game away early in the third when they were awarded a penalty shot.
NDSS goalie Ryan Aldridge makes a glove save on a penalty shot attempt to keep his team in the game in the third period. Photo by Adam Prudhomme.
Hawks goalie Ryan Aldridge was there to answer the call, denying the shooter with a glove save.
“That was huge, it gave the boys a lift,” Birchard said of the penalty shot save.
Napanee’s offense carried that momentum and responded with just over four minutes to go in the game as Albright buried the game-tying goal with help from Jacob Dacosta and Conner Brooks.
The celebration was short lived however as the Knights continued to apply pressure in the final minutes with a flurry of shots. A rebound off Aldridge’s mask rocketed to the corner but was quickly passed in front to La Salle’s Derek Hamilton who was able to bury the go ahead goal with just under two minutes to play.
Desperate for the tying goal, the Hawks called Aldridge to the bench for the extra attacker. Despite a mad scramble, they just couldn’t find the tying goal.
“I’ve been in this position before and lost 10-2,” Birchard said of reaching the finals. “You hate that. Those games aren’t exciting. This was an exciting game.”
Though they fell short of bringing the first KASSAA boys hockey title to NDSS since 2002, the season isn’t over just yet. Napanee will represent the Kingston region in the AA EOSSAA tournament, which will take place Tuesday in Renfrew. A first place finish there would qualify them for OFSSAA in St. Catherine’s Mar. 25-27.