If you're going to brave Northern Ontario and Manitoba highways for 8 hours each way in the dead of winter, you might as well make the trip worthwhile. That's exactly what the U18A KC Sabres did this past weekend, as they travelled to Niverville for their lone out-of-town tournament of the season.
The Sabres kicked off the Niverville Heritage Classic in the beautiful CRRC Arena, 25 minutes south of Winnipeg, by taking on the host Niverville Clippers in their opening match. It was a fast-paced, close-checking affair, and went right down to the wire, with the Sabres scoring the go-ahead goal with 1:02 left in the third period, on their way to a 3-1 win. A strong performance by Cole Brewer in goal held the Clippers at bay, with goals by Paul Nixon, Peyton Bruni, and Peter Vlotaros.
Saturday morning saw the Sabres take on a strong Mitchell Mustangs team that had only lost once thus far in the regular season. The Sabres came out flying, jumping out to a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and coasted to a 4-1 win, powered by two goals from Lucy Cain, and singles by Owen Bodnar and Peter Vlotaros.
Looking to complete the perfect round robin, KC faced off against the St. Anne's Aces Saturday evening, and survived an early scare by digging their way out of an early 2-0 hole with goals by Vito Minnella, Owen Bodnar, and Captain Maddox Potan to send the game into the third period tied at 3. The teams would trade chances in the third, with the Sabres eventually claiming their first lead of the game on a blast from Connor Marjerrison with 3 minutes left on the clock. That goal would hold up as the winner, with Cole Brewer shutting the door to eliminate any chance of a comeback, and the Sabres would head to the semifinals as the top seed in their pool.
Sunday morning brought a semifinal matchup against the Steinbach Millers, who had gone 2-1 in their pool to advance to the playoffs. The Sabres got off to a great start on an early goal from Maddox Potan, before Owen Bodnar doubled the lead midway through the second period. Paul Nixon would extend the lead to three, before the Sabres ran into some penalty trouble. Three of their five defencemen would find themselves in the box at the same time, as the Sabres faced a two-man advantage lasting almost 4 minutes. They would eventually surrender a goal to make things interesting, but Paul Nixon would end any comeback chances with his second goal of the game midway through the third. Gavin Currie would take over from there, calmly stopping everything else thrown at him to seal the 4-1 win, and the Sabres berth in the Championship final.
There, they'd take on the class of the Eastman Hockey League's U18 division, the Grunthal Red Wings, who had domninated their opponents on their way to the final. The Sabres were well aware that this big, fast, skilled team with a deep bench would provide their greatest challenge of the weekend, but they were up to the task. Facing an intimidating environment with a huge, hostile crowd armed with horns and sirens, the Sabres got out to an early lead on a slick backhand goal by Owen Bodnar. The Red Wings tied the game in the second, sending the teams into the third period knotted at 1. The final was an extremely fast-paced affair, filled with great chances at both ends, and huge hits by both teams, and the fans were primed for the final period showdown. Early in the third, Owen Bodnar would sneak a quick shot past the Grunthal goalie for his second goal of the game, and from there, Gavin Currie decided enough was enough, and stoned the Wings on shot after shot. Peter Vlotaros would ice the game with a late goal into the empty net, sending the Sabres and their fans home happy after a hard-fought Championship win.
It was a great 5-0 weekend built on hustle, heart, timely scoring and great goaltending...every player gave their all and contributed to the Championship win. Congratulations to the Sabres players, coaches, and families!!
Sabres win!!
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