Please read the exciting article provided by the Devils coach Stan Bacchus about their win this week at the Kevin Fegan Tournament...
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The Devils entered their second tournament for the year in St. Catharines - The Kevin Fegan Tournament. Being the only Cambridge team, not only we were representing the Devils, but the rest of the Cambridge HL teams in our division. So the Devils knew they had to step it up a notch.
With the Devils short on the bench, two Minor Atom players were called up to fill the void. Both kids feeling the pressure, they knew they had big shoes to fill. Aiden DeSousa would score his 1st goal in a Major Atom game. Josh Kublek would start his scoring range with his first 2 goals for the Tournament. In all, the Devils started off strong in their first game jumping out to a 5-0 lead, to watch it slowly diminish in the 3rd period as the Lawfield Black Hawks gained momentum and scored 4 unanswered goals. Luckily Mitchell Fowlie's game winner was the deciding factor as the Devils held on by the horns and pulled through with a 5-4 victory.
In the next game the Devils went back to what they know best - defensive hockey with a convincing win in the second game 4-1 over London SSE. Mitchell Fowlie and Eric Martens goals were all the Devils needed to win, but just to make sure, goals by Aiden Desousa and Justin Willsie put it out of reach. Watching Eric Marten score his first goal of his young career was the highlight of the tournament as his teammates, coaches and parents were celebrating and cheering him on. It was priceless to watch him come to the bench with that big, well-earned smile on his face.
In the quarter finals we had a rematch with the first team we played, the Lawfield Black Hawks. It was all defence and goaltending at that point winning 5-0. The defensive core which consisted of Josh Wettlaufer, Evan Kilpatrick, John Hanko and Jansen Macdougall made the Black Hawks very frustrated, and our offense capitalized on their mistakes. Conor Jones lead the offence with 1G 1A.
Next up was the Devils first ever semi finals game and what a game that would be! With both teams exchanging goals back and forth. The Lawfield Bruins were by far the toughest team the Devils had encountered. With Josh Kublek leading our offense with 2G 1A that still wasn't enough to seal the deal. After 30 minutes of play nothing was decided. Leaning on our Captain for guidance and support, Daniel Hernandez ended the game 46 seconds into overtime making it 5-4, to take his team into the finals.
In the finals, we played the Hamilton Senators. The Devils saved their best game for last. With the outstanding goaltending that Dakota Bacchus and Reid Ortwein displayed all tournament, this wouldn't be an easy game for them . In the first 5 minutes of the game the Senators dominated in our end. Shot after shot, save after save. The Devils finally settled down and took control of the game. At this point, I was glad to have the best seat in the house. The passion and effort that the Devils put out every shift made it a very enjoyable game to watch. With Aiden DeSousa opening the scoring in the first period, it gave the Devils the lift they needed. Eric Marten once again found the back of the net, scoring his 4th goal of the tournament. Justin Willsie's constant rushes tired the Senators defense out. Mid way through the 3rd period is when the Devils put it away with a nifty pass from Jansen Mcdougall to Daniel Hernandez.
On behalf of myself, the coaches and parents we would like to congratulate the Devils for a great team effort and well deserved win. Way to go Champs!!