Apr 10, 2018 | charlene | 2335 views
Midget AA Clippers: A Season to Remember
This will truly
be a year that the Stouffville Clippers Midget AA Team will never forget. Starting with pre-season conditioning
skates in early July, it was clear from strong player turn-out, and fast-paced
workouts that this could be a successful year for these 2000 and 2001
birth-year players. When the team was finally selected in
early September, it was apparent that the team was fast, determined and focused. They knew that they would be contenders
for an OMHA championship.
Success came early for the Midget AA Clippers. In the three pre-season warm-up Tournaments, they made it to the championship game in all three. In the Mississauga Early Bird, the boys lost a tough 3-1 decision against the Ted Reeve Thunder, the #1 team in Ontario throughout the season. In the Pittsburgh Pre-Season Challenge, the Clippers once again made it to the finals, eventually losing to the Cathedral Prep. Ramblers 4-2, a private school from Ohio. In their final pre-season tournament, the now injury-free team went undefeated to win the highly sought-after Scotiabank Cup in Mississauga, with a 3-0 win over Kingston. This tournament win started an incredible streak for the Clippers. For the next 24 league games, the boys went undefeated, winning the York-Simcoe Midget AA league with an 18-0-6 win-loss-tie record. It wasn’t always easy. Hard fought ties against very strong league opponents showed the boys just how competitive the season would be. A regular season 2-0 win against the Markham Waxers sealed the undefeated regular season. Next up...the OMHA Play-Off’s. In the preliminaries, the Clippers disposed of Georgina in two straight games. In the second round, after two wins in the best of five series against Richmond Hill, the boys finally lost a game, bringing their undefeated streak to an end at 33 games. This was a very significant accomplishment at any age group, but almost unheard of at the Major Midget age group. They were disappointed, but rebounded quickly to finish off Richmond Hill. The next opponent was our toughest competition from the York-Simcoe loop, the Newmarket Redmen. It was hard hockey in all aspects, between two strong teams, but the Clippers prevailed winning three straight, propelling the boys into the OMHA semi-finals against the Clarington Toros. In another hard fought series, the Clippers prevailed in 5 games. This set up the OMHA finals against the Belle River Canadiens. A team unfamiliar to the Clippers, Belle River proved to be a very strong team. In five very competitive games, the boys eventually fell short of their objective, losing the final game by a 2-1 score. It was a tough way to end the year, but it was definitely a year to remember. The support from the community was amazing with crowds over 650 per game. Local business also showed their outstanding support, especially the Stouffville Spirit, Farmer Jack’s, Schell Lumber, Case Richardson & Sons, and Betz Pools. Thank you. Members of the Clippers include: Brent Menzies, Evan Farrell, Ben Partridge, Nick Smith, Kevin Kozik, Braden Smith, Mike Freitas, Connor Hicks, Brydon Jewett, Rhys Garlough, Nolan MacInnis, Jacob Rintjema, Sam Atanackovich, Spencer, Krabi, Colin Johnston, James Carlin, and Tyler Ribi. Affiliate players Liam Vogan, Jordan Romualdo, Rhys Patterson and Ryan Tammisto. Coaches Greg Smith, Scott Menzies, Noel Jewett and Ben Singh. Team Manager Monica Farrell. Team Trainer Otto Ribi.