DRAYTON – It’s been 26 years since a team from Drayton won an International Silver Stick Tournament and on Jan. 22 the Drayton Defenders U11 Rep team became the second local team this year to claim the title of International Silver Stick Champions.
The U11 win came just one week after the U11 Black LL team claimed the same title.
“Congratulations to the U11 Black team on your win,” rep team officials state.
The Silver Stick is an annual competition that consists of regional tournaments across Canada and the U.S., with the champions advancing to represent their region and level at the international finals.
The U11 Rep team qualified for the finals after going undefeated and winning the Wingham Regional Silver Stick tournament in December.
The team then travelled to Forest to participate in the International Silver Stick Tournament from Jan. 20 to 22.
The Defenders started the tournament bright and early on the Friday morning with a win against Fort Wayne, Indiana, followed by a second win that afternoon in a very close game against East Lambton, with the winning goal scored with only 2.5 seconds left on the clock.
The Defenders continued their streak, going undefeated in the round robin play with additional wins against Frontenac and Lambton Shores.
The Drayton Defenders were the only team to go undefeated in the round robin which allowed them a bye straight to the final game.
The final game took place in Forest on Sunday morning, where the Defenders met the East Lambton Eagles for the second time that weekend. The Defenders led the attack in the first period with one goal and solid goaltending to keep their opponents scoreless.
The second period was a nail-biter with both teams going head-to-head with multiple scoring chances, but no goals scored.
It wasn’t until 12:20 in the third period, that a second goal was added by Drayton to make the score 2-0.
With fourteen seconds left, on a power play and with their goalie pulled, the East Lambton team scored. The Defenders held on and as the final buzzer sounded, they clinched the championship and celebrated this hard-earned accomplishment along with their fans.
“This team of 13 played hard all weekend long, scoring 26 goals and only allowing 5 over the entire tournament,” team officials stated.
The team offered special congratulations to Patrick Heenan, Tucker Frook, Drew Ottens and Nolan Scholten, who received Silver Stick All Star Awards.
U9 Tier 1
The U9 Tier 1 Drayton Defenders participated in the Parkhill Regional Silver Stick tournament from Jan. 20 top 22 where they claimed the title of Regional Silver Stick Champs.
Regional champs – The Drayton Defenders U9 Tier 1 team won the Regional Silver Stick championship for their level at a tournament in Parkhill from Jan. 20 to 22. Team players are: Blake Hahn, Cooper Frook, Hayden McDougall, Travis Beyer, Joseph Gerbe, Parker Douglas, Sam Brunkard, Brody Debeyer, Eddie Kraal, Darren Beyer and Max DeKoning. Coaches are: Brian Debeyer, Bryan Frook, Caleb Cribbin, Mike Downey and Matt McDougall. Submitted photo
“There is no international tournament at this level, but we have no doubt we will see this team at an international tournament in the future,” officials stated.
Tournament play began on Friday afternoon with the Defenders going head-to-head with the Wingham Ironmen. Both teams battled throughout all three periods and ended the game with a tie score of 2-2.
The team was up early on Saturday morning to take on the East Lambton Eagles, winning easily with a final score of 10-0. Strong defense and goaltending had the Defenders recording their first shutout win of the tournament.
Then it was off to the semi-finals on Sunday against the Mount Forest Rams, where the Defenders pulled off a 7-2 win.
The finals took place in Parkhill on Sunday afternoon, where the Defenders met the Wingham Ironmen once again.
This time, with quick feet, fast hands and solid defense and team play, the Drayton Defenders conquered their opponent in an 8-4 victory bringing home the Silver Stick Champion title.
The team was awarded the Silver Stick banner, which will hang in the PMD Arena and team members were individually presented with gold medals and Silver Stick toques.
