Donald Teuma-Castelletti
SHAWVILLE Jan. 18-20, 2019
There was no period more tense than the one that extended the Pontiac Provincial Tournament into overtime on Sunday, as seconds dragged into minutes while the Midget A Lions battered back and forth with the Hull Senateurs in the final match of the weekend.
After a brawl broke up the action with just 30 seconds left on the clock, a Hull player managed to fire the puck past the Lions’ defences, tying the game.
As it went into overtime, the home team soon found themselves outnumbered on the ice. Still, they kept level-headed and chose their opportunities carefully, chewing into the clock. Finally, Lion Evan Atkinson found the opening and rushed it in to win their division, as the hometown crowd cheered and the rest of the team flooded the ice.
But the Midget A lads weren’t the only Lions to dominate this weekend, as three of the four division titles went to the home town squad.
The Midget B Lions were leading from the beginning, as they took on the Smiths Falls Bears in the finals.
In the first period, the Lions quickly outpaced the Bears, scoring twice. First up was Owen Beattie, assisted by Hunter Essiambre, before Essiambre scored, assisted by Ryan Gilpin and Kole Brinkworth.
Next up, Michael McCann kept their momentum rolling when he put the Lions ahead 3-0, with a goal assisted by Dakota Hudson. When the Bears started to pushback, the Lions held up their defences to keep their lead. They’d go on to win 3-2, earning this year’s Midget B cup.
The Bantam A Lions also had an exciting weekend, as they handily won their division and their finals game.
Taking on the Aylmer Extremes, the Bantam A team went on to win 5-0. Charlie Olmstead scored four of these, assisted by Bryan Tubman and Callum Hayes, while Tubman added one for good measure, assisted by Mathis Bouchard.
Finally, in the Bantam B division, the final match came down to the Fort Coulonge Comets taking on the Aylmer Express. While the Comets led the game for the majority of the match, Aylmer made a comeback in the third period to clinch the win 4-3. Goal scorers for the Comets included Riley Ranger with two, assisted by Sacha Jolin and Tyson Ferrigan, as well as Javier Morin, assisted by Jordan Acres-Levesque.
Nonstop action like this ruled the arena all weekend, as players, parents and the community turned out for over 50 games as 16 teams duked it out.
While little has changed since the bantam and midget tournament returned to Shawville last year, it has quickly cemented itself as a weekend the Lions look forward to.
Midget B players Brinkworth and Rayden Besharah said the tournament is great for seeing so much of their community cheering them on. With the great numbers turning out, they agreed there’s a huge amount of support felt, which leads to a better performance and determination on the ice.
Bantam A player Tubman echoed these sentiments, adding that the cheers from your community really help to hype up the teams.
All three players entered the finals with some standout memories of the weekend already in place. Tubman was proud to say he had scored four goals in his Sunday morning game, while Besharah said Friday night’s packed arena and level of excitement was a highlight. Brinkworth’s MVP status in a Friday night game was his big achievement.
Scott Lemay, an organizer and member of the tournament’s executive council, said creating memories like these for the players is what the tournaments are all about.
After bringing the Pontiac Provincial Tournament back to Shawville four years ago for the younger divisions, the community’s huge turnout sparked major interest in producing the same thing for the older players. After the committee grew from four to eight members that became possible, and the Midget and Bantam levels played host to teams from around the neighbouring area for the first time in many years in 2018.
While it does take a daunting amount of work to organize – the committee arranges for everything from players’ prizes and champion banners, to sanction fees, insurance, refs, timekeepers, and more – Lemay admits that as past players, they know the memories from the weekends will stay with them for the years to come.
As well, he said, many local businesses have been happy to have the tournament back, as it means outstanding business to them. Some restaurants have shared that behind the Shawville Fair, the tournament weekends are the busiest time of year for them.
Lemay added that the success of the weekend, and in turn, the success for the whole community, wouldn’t be possible without the commitment of rink staff.
Up next for Shawville hockey is part two of the Pontiac Provincial Tournament, when Atom and Peewee teams will take over the arena this coming weekend. See next week’s issue of THE EQUITY for the coverage.
