After finishing the 2022 – 2023 regular season one point ahead of the second place North Bay Trappers with 45 points, the first place Soo U14 Greyhounds headed to North Bay to join the Trappers and third place Nickel City Sons in the NOHA League Championships over the Friday, March 24 to Sunday, March 26 weekend.
The (3-1) Greyhounds headed into the championship with a semi-final 4 – 2 win over the Nickel City Sons and eventually went on to capture the 2023 U14 AAA NOHA League Championships with a 5 – 4 overtime win over the North Bay Trappers.
U14 Greyhound coach Dom Deluca told Saultsports that “it was a truly committed team effort! We made some adjustments with our forecheck and really held our third guy extremely high in the offensive zone in the hopes of eliminating the odd man rushes we were giving up earlier in tourney! We kinda stymied their speed through neutral zone. Collectively, a great team effort and showed the team discipline necessary to win in such a big game. Those details make a difference. We had some great performances by some players. Adam Psczysczny was an absolute beast.”
He put the team on his back offensively and showed great leadership. Maija St. Pierre was a rock and she always shines in big moments. Defensemen Frankie Reda and AJ Carbone logged an extraordinary amount of ice and were stalwarts on the back end! Reda’s goal in OT showed his offensive flair and breakaway speed, besides a gorgeous top corner shot to win the championship! But I cant stress how tight this group is and we talked about how we are family now and we play hard for each other and pick each other up. Our last round robin game got chippy and the boys really stuck up for their teammates. They sent a message that if we got to a final that we would not be a pushover. Deluca added that all in all, a spirited team game and they all did their part in helping us earn this title! The coaching staff was elated,” added Deluca.
Next up for the Soo Greyhounds will be the 2023 OHL U14 Cup over the Friday, April 14 to Sunday, April 16 in Oakville, Ontario. Watch the 2023 OHL U14 Cup here and follow Saultsports.com for schedules, results and stories from Oakville.
When asked about what the U14 Greyhounds need to do to be successful at the 2023 OHL Cup, Deluca said “we will really need to be disciplined and not cheat the game. It will take a total team buy in if we wanna have any success. The skill level will be elite. Pay attention to details and compete every shift. We are going to stay connected when you are facing these top-notch teams!”
Sunday, March 26
2:01 p.m Soo Jr Greyhounds (5) vs (4) North Bay Trappers (OT)
8:45 a.m Nickel City Sons (2) vs (4) Soo Jr Greyhounds
Saturday, March 25
7:00 p.m Soo Jr Greyhounds (5) vs (1) North Bay Trappers
2:00 p.m Soo Jr Greyhounds (5) vs (0) Nickel City Sons
9:00 a.m North Bay Trappers (6) vs (2) Nickel City Sons
Friday, March 24
7:00 p.m Nickel City Sons (0) vs (4) Soo Jr Greyhounds
2:00 p.m North Bay Trappers (4) vs (1) Soo Jr Greyhounds
9:00 a.m Nickel City Sons (1) vs (2) North Bay
