FERGUS – Strong team spirit and plenty of experience were the deciding factors as the Centre Wellington Falcons powered their way to victory on March 22, claiming the Ontario championship in AAA girls’ hockey.
It was not only a first for the school, but also the first time a AAA girls’ hockey team from the Central West Ontario region (CWOSSA) has won the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations (OFSAA) title.
“We made history,” said player Tianna Dietrich. “It was pretty surreal. We were the underdogs coming to the tournament. No one suspected we would go this far and do as well as we did. I think it’s pretty amazing.”
Despite winning every one of its 10 regular season games, and all the games in the District 10 and CWOSSA tournaments, the team was seeded 10th and not favoured to knock off powerhouse schools at the OFSAA tournament held in Midland.
In the final game the Falcons were up against the Medway Cowboys of Arva, north of London, the top-seeded team looking for its third straight OFSAA title.
The Falcons beat Medway 2-1 with powerplay goals by Carson Lean and Cecilie Proctor, cheered on by a packed cafeteria watching the game back in Fergus.
It capped a season in which the Falcons outscored their opponents 106-12.
“There was a really positive chemistry,” said head coach Merf Bauman, a community volunteer.
“I’ve had a lot of skilled teams, but there was something special with this team. When it came to heavy competition, this team came together and played at a whole other level.
“Of course we have skilled players, but it was beyond that – it was the chemistry of how they played together, the friendship that was built in the dressing room. They just played as a team, as a unit.”
Bauman paid tribute to the other coaches for promoting fun on the bench.
“There was a really positive atmosphere that added to the players being relaxed and playing at their highest level of ability,” he said.
“We never realized the team we had until we hit CWOSSA … I knew we had a good team, but I didn’t realize how good.”
Player Kara denHoed said they had a mature, experienced team, and that “everyone helped out all season”. They believed they could win the championship, but still felt out of place at first.
“It felt like we weren’t supposed to be there,” she said.
“We had an open mind, whatever the outcome, it was exciting,” said Carson Lean.
The team got a lift in the first game of the tournament against St. Maximillian Kolbe high school. They were tied 2-2 as the third period was ticking down when Lean called for a pass and went in all alone to score.
“I didn’t know how much time was left. I just knew I needed something done here. It was a huge celebration, and then I looked at the clock after and there was three seconds left. I was cutting it close,” said Lean.
“That really got our momentum going,” said Dietrich. “We just … knew we could do it.”
The Falcons went on to defeat Bishop Tonnos and St. Peters (Barrie) in the first round, then St. Joseph-Scollard Hall in the quarter finals and Mount Carmel in the semi-finals before meeting Medway in the final.
“Merf’s pre-game speech was, ‘there’s nothing to lose’, because we weren’t expected to be in the finals,” said denHoed. All of us just decided that we didn’t want to settle for just being in the finals.”
“It helped to know we had so many people rooting for us,” said Lean.
DenHoed said Centre Wellington controlled the play for much of the game, but it was stressful in the last two minutes when Medway pulled their goalie.
“We stood our ground, and Faith was always ready to save us,” said denHoed, referring to Falcons’ goaltender Faith Mitchell.
The win is a reflection of how good the hockey is in the Fergus area, said coach Stephanie Silverberg.
Bauman said Grand River Mustangs girls hockey was critical in developing his players’ skills when they were younger, and now many play with other teams.
“The coaching staff are truly so proud of you guys – you give me goosebumps,” said coach Jenni Kumagai. “We’re proud of your hard work and dedication throughout our entire season.”
The players thanked the coaching staff.
“You guys became like friends to us,” said denHoed. “It helps to have that kind of support system. It’s easy to have fun and not be afraid to make mistakes.”
The team also wants to thank UGDSB staff, along with sponsors Mike Mitchell, the Fergus Legion, the Dietrich family, Collins Barrow, Dr. McKeown, Long and McKeown Naturopathic Health Centre, other local doctors, Premium Apparel and Chef D.
