The 27th annual Big Nickel AAA Hockey Tournament wrapped up this past weekend, and despite the fact that no local teams made it to the finals, the event was a success.
Attendance was up and the hockey was intense and competitive.
The Sault Ste. Marie North Stars won the midget crown by
dumping the Mississauga IceDogs 3-2 in overtime. In the bantam
division, The Toronto Junior Canadiens won after beating the
Toronto Marlboros 1-0 in the final. In the peewee category, the
York-Simcoe Express won after knocking off the Toronto
Marlboros.
Here's a look at what the locals clubs accomplished:
Peewee
Sudbury Northwood Wolves went 0-4 in round-robin play and
missed the playoffs.
Bantam
The Sudbury Bantam Wolves managed a decent 2-2 record in
round-robin play, but missed the playoff round.
The Onaping Falls Huskies fell on hard times at the event,
losing all four games, and missed the playoff round.
Midget
The Rayside-Balfour Sabrecats were the surprise of the
tournament, going unbeaten in round-robin action. The Sabrecats
went 2-0-2 in a tough division, but fell 5-0 in the
quarter-finals to Sault Ste. Marie.
The Sudbury Nickel Capitals Wolves had a strong tournament,
going 2-1-1 in round-robin play. Despite their record, they
missed the playoff round because of goals scored
differential.
The Valley East Cobras also had a fair showing at the
tournament, forging a 1-1-2 record, but they missed the playoff
round as well.
In other news from the tournament...
Rayside forward Nick Esposto was a force all weekend, scoring
three goals and seven points in four round-robin games. For his
efforts, Esposto, who's a potential Top 10 pick for the 2007
OHL Draft, was named to the midget All-Star squad. He was the
only local player from all three levels to make an all-star
team.
Rayside forward Brandon Labelle was the top-scoring player from
the Sudbury area. In four games, Labelle racked up three goals
and eight points.
Tournament MVP awards went to York-Simcoe player Chris Tierney
(peewee), Toronto Junior Canadiens player John McFarland
(bantam) and Sault Ste. Marie North Stars player Jerry
Petingalo.
Sault Ste. Marie defenceman and 2006 Sudbury Wolves draft pick,
Kevin Closs, took the F. McCool Memorial Award for Best Overall
Team Player in the midget category. The Wolves picked Closs in
the 15th round, 291st overall this past May.
