Photo Credit Freeze Frame Photos
After finishing 3 – 0 round robin, a quarter final 4 – 2 win over the Lambton Lancers along with a 5 – 4 overtime win in the semi final at the 2023 OFSAA ‘AA’ Hockey Championships in St Catharines, Ontario, the St Mary’s Knights took to the ice to face the fifth rank St Michael Warriors of Stratford on Thursday, March 23rd.
At 6:02 of the opening period from the top of the right faceoff circle, Knight blueliner Adrian O’Dell fires a snapshot to find the back of Warrior goaltender Aidan Hill’s net to give St Mary’s a 1 – 0 lead. Kyle Scarfone and Koen Kurylo added the assists on O’Dell’s goal. Darion Perrault catches a pass from Jack McPherson as the Knight forward was being tripped in front of St Michaels’ net to tip St Mary’s second goal past Hill to bring the lead to 2 – 0 at the 3:15 mark of the first. Gabe Zimbaro had the other helper on Perrault’s goal. With St Mary’s on a powerplay 2:55 into the second, Carmine Perna wraps the Knights third goal around Hill’s right post from behind the Warriors net to increase St Mary’s lead to 3 – 0. Zimbaro contributed on Perna’s powerplay goal. Knights’ defenseman Dawson Wilson fires a slapshot from just inside the right blueline to be tipped by Nik Vecchio to give the Knights a 4 – 0 lead with 98 seconds remaining in the middle stanza.
From in front of the Knights’ net, Warrior Cody Bach lifts St Michaels’ first goal past St Mary’s netminder Jaxon Alexander at 7:12 of the third. At 4:22 of the period, Carter Petrie closes the gap to two for the Warriors from the left faceoff circle. Jackson Campbell drew the lone assist on St Michaels’ second goal of the contest. Just seven seconds later unassisted Dominic Marshall pulls the Warriors within one at 4:15. With Aiden Hill on the bench for a Warrior extra attacker, St Michaels’ Issac Nickel ties the championship game 4 – 4 from the right blueline with 93 seconds left in the game. Cody Bach added the helper on Nickel’s tying goal. With only 94 seconds remaining in the 2023 OFSAA ‘AA’ Championship first overtime and both teams four on four, Colin Slattery fires the game winner from the left of the Knights net to give the St Michaels Warriors a 5 – 4 overtime win.
