The Elks 82's are the Champions of the U18A Kevin Kozar Christmas Classic! Sporting some sharp new gold and purple threads, the Elks did their best impression of the 80's "Showtime" Lakers, and simply outclassed their opposition for four days. With balanced scoring led by Cayden Kuoppa-Aho and Keelin McMahon, strong team defence, and Christian Moro stopping almost everything thrown at him, the 82's didn't leave much to chance in the round robin. Finishing first in their pool with a 4-0 record, outscoring the opposition 16-5, the Elks bought themselves a Saturday night off, earning a bye to the semifinals.
Sunday morning would see a rejuvenated FW Hurricanes team on the docket, coming off their own undefeated round robin performance of two wins and two ties, and a narrow last-minute 2-1 win over the Westfort Rangers in the quarterfinals. The 82's would keep things rolling against the Hercs, pulling away for another convincing shutout win, and securing their spot in the final.
The other side of the playoff bracket was where we would find the feel-good story of the tournament, as Harry Kozar and the Westfort Maroons looked to complete their dream march to the championship. After finishing first in their pool with a 3-1 record, the Maroons waited to learn who they would meet in the semifinal. The West End Bruins stepped up, and joined the Maroons to give the crowd on hand a thrilling battle. The Bruins scored twice in five seconds with less than five minutes left in the third period to take a one-goal lead, only to have Connor Legarde send the fans into a frenzy by tying the game with 15 seconds left, forcing a shootout! The Maroons would prevail in the shootout, and you had to wonder what the hockey gods might have in store.
It couldn't have been easy for the Maroons to keep it going after such an emotional semifinal triumph, and the Elks proved the strength of not only their team, but also their resolve, by imposing their will early in the championship match. Cayden Kuoppa-Aho scored twice in the first period to open up a 2-0 lead, and the 82's never looked back. Three different goal scorers would push the lead to 5-0 for Elks, and you could start to see that maybe the move to golden jerseys wasn't just a coincidence, but rather a premonition.
There was a brief, yet poignant, break in the 82's march to the title, as Harry Kozar got the Maroons on the board in the second period, bringing an emotional cheer from the crowd, and a fitting embrace from his teammates.
The game would go into the books as a 6-1 win for Elks, cementing their position as the clear class of the division over these four days, and deserving winners of the U18A division in the inaugural Kevin Kozar Christmas Classic. Congratulations, 82's!!
After the game, and the medal and trophy presentations, both teams met at centre ice for a picture together, showing further proof of the strength and unity of the hockey community in Thunder Bay, and support for the Kozar family on what was a weekend full of emotions. Thank you all for that special moment.
