On the Easter weekend, the Talbot Trail Blazers U15 hockey team travelled to Collingwood to compete against the best of the best hockey tournament — the OHF Championships — a tournament which invites the winner of the OMHA, the NOHL, the GTHL and the Alliance hockey associations.
They marched through all of their opponents to be crowned Ontario Hockey Federation Champions.
Friday morning, the Blazers faced off against the Sarnia Sting, and despite falling behind 1-0, came back to win 4-2. Austin Goudie led the attack scoring four goals and Nash Fuerth potted a pair. Kevin Ondic, in net for Talbot, recorded the win.
Friday afternoon, the Blazers faced the Temiskaming Shores Puckhounds and fought hard for a 4-1 victory. Brayden Foster, Feurth, AJ Youssef and Lucas O’Neil each scored once in the win. Ondic again earned the win in goal.
Saturday morning, the Blazers’ next opponent was the Collingwood Jr Blues and they added another win to their record, winning 5-1. O’Neil, Youssef, Foster, Goudie and Larry Jeffrey each potted a goal enroute to the win. Ondic and Nicholas Chisholm, seeing some late game play, split the victory in net.
Later in the day, the Blazers won 7-2 against the Hamilton Huskies in a spirited and chippy fast paced game. Jeffrey, Goudie and Fuerth each sniped two goals with Youssef adding a single. Ondic and Chisholm shared the goaltending duties and the win.
The Blazers finished first after round-robin play, setting up a Sunday morning semi-final with the host team, the Collingwood Jr Blues, and came out flying.
Just under five minutes into the game, Nathan Mariuz blocked a clearing pass with the puck bouncing right to Kelton McCabe, who calmly took one stride and snapped his shot blocker side to take the lead.
Three minutes later, while on the power play, Fuerth fired a shot from the point where Goudie tipped it through the five-hole and Youssef tapped it all the way across the goal line to go up by a pair.
With four to play in the first, Goudie forechecked hard and sent the puck to the front of the net where Youssef tipped it past the goalie.
Late in the second period while on the power play O’Neil sent a pass back to Fuerth at the blue line and he wired his slapshot past a screened goalie.
Nine seconds later Collingwood replied with a goal. But midway through the third Mariuz found Braylon Aflak in the slot and his shot just missed the net but caromed to Nicholas Magri at the side of the net and he punched it into the open cage. Collingwood would score late on a giveaway but the 5-2 Blazers win guaranteed a spot in the final. Ondic earned the win.
Now the only team remaining between the Blazers and their ultimate goal of a championship was the Sarnia Sting. And they would not be denied as they came out a determined bunch, stifling the Sting with their speed and a smothering forecheck.
Just over a minute in Youssef won the draw back to Fuerth and he ripped his shot low glove to take the early lead.
Three minutes later O’Neil battled low and got the puck back to Isaiah Georges at the point and he walked in to the hash marks and fired his snapper just under the bar. Next, five minutes into the middle frame, while on the pp, Fuerth grabbed the puck and went end to end, finishing by firing his shot low blocker. 1:32 into the third while on a power play Jeffrey sent a pass to Youssef who went back to Fuerth at the point and he rifled his shot in through a screen. Three minutes later Foster and Jeffrey forechecked hard, battling to get the puck out to O’Neil in the slot and he buried his shot for Talbot’s 5th. Sarnia scored with under five to play but that’s as close as they would come as the Talbot Trail Blazers skated away with a 5-1 victory and an OHF Championship. Ondic backstopped his team to victory earning his sixth win of the tournament.
This championship capped off an amazing season for the Blazers as they finished with a 63-8-4 record and completed the very rare hockey Triple Crown: International SilverStick, OMHA and OHF Champion.
