Mar 09, 2020 | Tim Welychka Sr. | 1262 views
Novice Admirals win STA CUP!
The Novice Southern Tier Admirals capped off an amazing weekend by winning the inaugural STA Cup Tournament.
The Admirals started the weekend off by going a perfect 4-0 in round robin play, scoring a total of 21 goals and only allowing 1 against.
The Admirals ran into a tough Quinte team in the quarter finals winning 4-2, and then faced off against local rival Niagara North in the Semi-finals winning 6-2.
The Admirals capped off the weekend with a gutsy performance against a strong Lambeth team in the finals winning 6-3, and taking home the Championship.
The coaches are extremely proud of all 17 players for their hard work and efforts over the weekend. Great Job Admirals!!!
The 1st Annual STA Cup saw several of the top AAA Novice age teams from around Ontario compete for the inaugural STA Cup.
The Novice Admirals drew a very competitive group in round robin play, and competed against some strong teams from various AAA leagues.
The Admirals opened the tournament against the Richmond Hill Coyotes. The game started out tight with both teams trading scoring chances. The admirals were able to grab the lead in the 1st period, and build on that lead scoring in all 3 periods of the game on their way to a 6-0 win.
The Admirals ran into the Sarnia Sting and some hot goaltending in their second game. The admirals carried the play for most of the game and fired numerous quality scoring chances at the net, many of which were stopped by the Sting netminder. Persistence paid off for the Admiral players and they were able to finally solve the keeper mid way through the game. The Admirals continued to push the play and were able to add 2 more goals later in the game good for a 3-0 victory.
In game 3 of the round robin, The admirals clashed with a strong Brantford 99'er team, who was also 2-0 so far in the tournament. Much like game 1, the Admirals traded chances with their opponent and saw great chances at both ends of the ice. It wasn't until later in the first period that saw the Admirals break the tie and take the 1-0 lead. The Admirals did not let up and continued to move the puck around the ice creating numerous scoring chances. As the scoring chances began to add up, so did the goals. The Admirals were able to find the back of the net 6 more times, on way to a 7-0 win, and their 3rd straight shutout.
Game 4 of the round robin, the Admirals crossed over to play the Kitchener Rangers. The Rangers came into the game with a 1-1-1 record, looking to secure first place in their division. The 3-0 Admirals were looking to finish off the round robin strong with another win. The Admirals came out strong once again and were able to find the back of the net early in the game. The Admirals built a 3-0 lead in the 1st period and continued their strong play in the 2nd and 3rd. Kitchener was the first team to slip one past the STA goaltending midway through the game, but 2 more goals by the Admirals gave them the 5-1 win, and top seed in their division.
In the Quarter Finals, the Admirals ran into a powerhouse Quinte Red Devil team. Quinte was definitely one of the strongest teams in the tournament and set up a very popular quarter final. Both the Admirals and Red Devils matched up evenly with a good balance of offence, defense and goaltending. Quinte was able to draw first blood, and opened the scoring on a broken down play to take the 1-0 lead. The Admirals responded quickly, tying the game at 1-1. The game saw great chances at both ends, and great goaltending as well. Quinte once again took the lead 2-1, now in the second period, however STA was able to rebound quickly with not one, but two quick goals, taking a 3-2 lead in to the 3rd period. The 3rd period was a hard fought, close checking game from both teams. Not many scoring chances to be had after some great defending on both sides. The Admirals were able to pop in a 4th goal on the Power play which gave some breathing room. Although Quinte fought hard to the end, the Admirals were able to hold off the late push, and took the game 4-2.
In the Semi-Finals, the Admirals faced off against their local rivals from Niagara, the Niagara North Stars. Both teams came in very familiar with each other, having faced off numerous times so far this year. Much like the rest of the games, this one was a tight, hard fought battle. The Admirals came out strong and were able to score early in the game, taking a 1-0 lead which held up until the second period. The second period saw lots of strange plays, and weird bounces. Niagara North didn't let up, and caught STA on their heels with 2 quick goals mid way through the second period, good enough for a 2-1 lead heading into the 3rd period. With 15 minutes left to decide a birth in the finals, the Admirals played their best period of the tournament. The Admirals came out on fire, scoring 15 seconds into the period to tie the game. The Admirals carried the play for the whole third period, popping in 4 more goals on their way to a 6-2 win, and a spot in the finals.
In the Finals, STA ran into a very strong, offensive Lambeth Lancer team. Both Lambeth and STA came into the knockout stages as two of the top scoring teams in the tournament. Both teams put on a show for a packed crowd in Fort Erie. The Admirals continued their streak of hot starts and managed to jump out to an early lead, only 2 minutes into the game. Lambeth wasn't phased and replied quickly to notch the game at 1-1. Both teams continued to trade chances in the first period, but were unable to grab the lead. Although Lambeth continued to skate hard during the game, the Admirals were able to match the pace, while throwing several good shots at the Lancer net. The Admirals were able to score 3 unanswered goals, and take a commanding 4-1 lead in the game. It wasn't until the Admirals went on the Power play which saw them let up a bit, allowing Lambeth to score a short handed goal to close the gap to 4-2. The Admirals bounce right back in the third period and found the back of the net two more times giving them a 6-2 lead, late in the game. Although down 4 goals, Lambeth continued to fight until the final buzzer, scoring one more goal, and almost scoring another before the final buzzer went, and the Admirals were victorious with a 6-3 win.
The Admirals represented their Association well in the inaugural STA Cup, taking home the title. The tournament saw some great competition over the weekend which was capped off with some amazing hockey played on Sunday in the elimination rounds.
The Admiral coaches would like to thank the STA Association for putting on such a great event. The coaches would also like to thank all of the parents and players from Southern Tier for their commitment and support over a long, busy weekend of great hockey.
This marks the second tournament victory of the year for the Novice Admirals. STA will compete for their Playoff title in 2 weeks, before heading to Barrie for the final tournament of the season.
Congratulations Admirals!!! Keep up the hard work.