THUNDER BAY – A playoff appearance wasn’t meant to be for the host team at the 2017 All Ontario Bantam AAA Championship.
Needing a win to advance beyond the round robin, the Thunder Bay Kings were blanked 4-0 on Thursday night by the York-Simcoe Express (5-1-0), who will enter the medal round seeded second behind the undefeated Toronto Marlboros.
The Kings, who scored just 11 goals all week – including eight against the Fort France Canadians a day earlier – were shut out for the third time in the tournament and finished in sixth spot with a 1-3-2 record A win would have vaulted them into fourth, ahead of the North Bay Trappers and Cambridge Hawks.
It was a disappointing way to finish, but Kings captain Michael Stubbs said the team learned a lot playing against the top 14 and 15 year olds in the province.
“I think we wanted a better outcome out of it, but we worked hard out there. We grinded and I thought it was close game in shots. I think if we had gotten one by (goalie Harrison Fleischaker) it would have been a different game and it would have rewarded us,” Stubbs said.
“I think we’re as good as any of those teams playing tomorrow and I think we’re going to come and support them as a team and have our heads held high.”
Stephen Collins scored twice for the Express, both on passes from line-mate Quinton Byfield, a top Ontario Hockey League prospect named the top forward and tournament most valuable player in a ceremony held after the game. Both players finished the round robin with 11 points in six appearances.
Byfield’s skills were on full display on the second York-Simcoe goal, as he overpowered three Kings players then reached around the final defender and fired a pinpoint pass to Collins, who drove it past Connor Lemieux for a 2-0 Express lead midway through the second.
Collins then tipped home a Byfield shot with three minutes left in the period and the Express led by three after two.
Matthew Aubie finished off the Kings with two minutes to go in the third, hitting the empty net from just outside the Thunder Bay blue-line, Lemieux on the bench in favour of an extra attacker.
“The first two periods the zone time was fairly even, the shots were fairly even. (Byfield), we let him get loose a couple of times and the puck’s in the back of our net. At the other end, we just didn’t get a bounce,” said Kings coach Ed Atwill.
“If we’d gotten an early bounce things might have been a bit different. But (Byfield) is a really good player. We were trying to key on him, but we let him loose a couple of times and that’s what happens.”
Lemieux made 18 stops for Thunder Bay, Fleischaker 20 for the shutout.
The second-seeded Express will take on Ottawa in one Friday semifinal, while undefeated Toronto will play North Bay in the other. The championship game is slated for 8 p.m. at Fort William Gardens.
FIRST PERIOD
Scoring: 1. York-Simcoe, Lemieux (Collins, Galata) 7:15 pp. Penalties: Goodman TB (hooking) 6:00, Challis YRK (head contact) 11:26.
SECOND PERIOD
Scoring: 2. York, Collins (Byfield) 6:39. 3. York-Simcoe, Collins (Byfield, Galata) 12:02. Penalties: Challis YRK (high sticking) 14:04.
THIRD PERIOD
Scoring: 4. York-Simcoe, Aubie (unassisted) 13:19 en. Penalties: Challis YRK (head contact double minor) 5:03, Haluhak TB (tripping) 6:17. Bench minor YRK (too many men, served by Sudbury) 9:26.
GAME DATA – SOG – York-Simcoe 7-7-9-23, Thunder Bay 5-11-4-20; Power plays (goals-chances) – York-Simcoe (1-1), Thunder Bay (0-1); Goaltenders – York-Simcoe: Harrison Fleischaker, Thunder Bay: Connor Lemieux; A: 600 (estimated).
