May 3, 2010, 7:57 am
JETS MIDGET AA WIN OHF'S
The Mississauga Jets Midget AA team capped off an incredible and what seemed to be an insurmountable journey at the OHF'S April 9-11 in North Toronto by winning the Gold Medal in a thrilling 3-2 double-overtime game. Coach Brad Walford, assistant coaches Clarke Walford, Steve Fridulin and Trainer Rob Carr witnessed the most stressful and exciting game they had ever seen. The Jets, or "Cardiac Kids" as the coaches would dub them never seemed to do things the easy way! The Jets path to the OHF'S seemed very unlikely, starting the season with the minimum number of players. Most nights through the first half of the season the Jets played short handed, struggling to find wins and team cohesion. The turning point came in Sudbury during the Silver Stick qualifiers in December where the Jets lost a thrilling 2-1 overtime game to the Copper Cliff Redmen. Team captain Brendon Talbot who has been with the team for 7 years said the team finally bonded during the trip to Sudbury. From that point forward the Jets compiled a regular season record of 14 wins 0 losses and 1 tie to climb from 5th in the standings to finish second overall. The playoffs presented another hill to climb with several players missing for various reasons. The boys overcame all obstacles to beat out first place nemesis West Mall in the west finals before taking down the North York Knights in the city finals 4 games to 1. Then, off to the OHF'S where the Jets compiled a 4-0 mark during the round robin, pitting them agains the London Knights in the semis. With the Jets trailing the Knights 3-2 with under 5 minutes left they rallied to score 2 power play goals and added an empty net goal to take the semi-final 5-3. Advancing to the finals they would face a Brampton team they beat 4-2 in round robin play. Confident going into the finals, the game started with the Jets applying constant pressure on Brampton only to be turned away by the Brampton goalie each time. Before the game was 2 periods old Brampton had scored 2 power play goals of their own to lead 2-0. Only some stellar saves of his own by Jets goalie, Edwin Wey, kept the game close going into the third period. Time counting down to the 7 minute mark the Jets were still trailing 2-0 when they scored on the power play. Gaining momentum, Alex Carr scored with under 3 minutes remaining to tie the game sending the coaches, players and fans into a frenzy. The game would end tied 2-2 in regulation, meaning sudden death overtime was next. The first overtime ended with both teams missing glorious opportunities. Off to the second overtime which continued to provide each team with chances to end the game, only to be thwarted by great goaltending on both sides. Finally, with 6:47 left in the second overtime Brampton native Thomas Sestini's shot from the point found it's way into the back of the net, ending what had been an incredible game. The "Cardiac Kids' had found a way to come back again while trailing for the second straight game. As they had all year, the Jets players had shown a "Never Die, Never Quit" attitude that would propel them to an OHF GOLD MEDAL! Congratulations to all the boys and coaches on an incredible journey that will never be forgotten. The Jets players include: Mark Melfi, Edwin Wey, Thomas Sestini, Matthew Picariello, Jack Donnelly, Brandan Dileo, Jonathon Newhouse, Jeremy Galyor, Brendon Talbot, Brett Vanderhoeff, Taylor Mathers, Ben Van Reekum, Alex Carr, Matthew Sheffield, Tyler Leblanc, Jonathon Visciano, and Steven Mandarino.
2010 Paul Coffey Tournament Application Form
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