Photo Credit: Freeze Frame Photos
After defeating the Superior Heights Steelhawks in the best of three Sault Ste Marie High School Hockey League semi final series 2 – 0, the Korah Colts hit the ice to take on the 2023 – 2024 Sault Ste Marie High School Hockey League regular season champions, the St Mary’s Knights for game one of a best of five series city championships at the John Rhodes Centre on Sunday, February 18th.
Korah’s Dae Wood cuts across the top of the right faceoff circle to find the back of St Mary’s net under goaltender Grant Matthewson’s catcher to give the Colts a 1 – 0 lead at the 13:50 mark of the second period. Colton Greene and Mason Battocchio added the contributors on Wood’s first of the postseason. At 9:40 of the second period, Nick Kelly fires a wrist shot through traffic under Korah netminder Kylan Roy’s blocker to pull St Mary’s even 1 – 1. Connor Breault and Noah DiValentin notched the helpers on Kelly’s first of the 2024 playoffs. At 8:10 with a scrum in front of the Colts net and Roy sprawled across his crease, the Knights go-ahead goal trickled across the top of Roy’s catcher to give St Mary’s a 2 – 1 lead with an unassisted goal by St Mary’s Darion Pucci to sink his first of the postseason.
Nik Vecchio picks up a rebound off of Roy’s chest to lift St Mary’s third goal over the Korah netminder’s left shoulder to bring the lead to 3 – 1 at 6:46 of the second. Anthony Blonda drew the lone assist on Vecchio’s first of the postseason. With the puck bouncing in the Colts crease at 5:10 of the second period and the Knights on a powerplay, Nik Vecchio pushes the Knights fourth goal across the goal line to increase the lead to 4 – 1. Nick Kelly and Kye Taylor registered the helpers on Vecchio’s second of the contest. Registering a hat trick in game one of the series and St Mary’s shorthanded, Vecchio rifles a shot along the ice at 6:43 of the third period from the right faceoff circle to find the back of the Colts net to give the Knights a 5 – 1 lead unassisted. From between the faceoff circles in front of the Knights net on a powerplay, Owen Avery fires a wrist shot at 3:20 of the third to close the gap to three. Cole Arruda and Colton Greene had the assists on Avery’s first of the playoffs. With 97 seconds remaining in game one of the best of five series, Noah DiValentin rifles the Knights sixth goal from just inside the right blueline to find the back of Korah’s net under Roy’s blocker to give St Mary’s a 1 – 0 series lead with a 6 – 2 win. Nick Kelly registered his third point of the game.
Knights coach Josh Dunn told Saultsports that “We had a slow start and once Korah got the first goal we realized it wasn’t going to come easy. We bought into the game plan and it led to our success. We need to clean up a few things defensively for game two, but overall happy with the outcome and the effort on the offensive side of the puck.”
After the loss, Colts Chris Perri told Saultsports that “we were in a good spot after the first and we felt good about our first period. Our team needs to show up for three periods. When our team has some adversity to overcome like tonight when the Knights scored a couple of goals on us, the boys start getting negative with each other on the bench. We have been encouraging positive communication all year especially in those situations when they occur. Sometimes we choose the right path and tonight too many of our players chose the wrong path.”
“Our players have to be better with their mental toughness and resilience heading into game two on Tuesday,” added Perri.
Visit Freeze Frame Photos by Bob Davies photo gallery of game one of the 2024 Sault Ste Marie High School Hockey League City Championships with the St Mary’s Knights versus the Korah Colts
The best of five series will continue on Tuesday, February 20th for game two with the Knights leading the series 1 – 0 at Northern Community Centre in a 3:30 p.m puck drop against the Colts.
