50p
Hockey Night in Mill Bay 1
For the first time in over two years, the Senior Ice Hockey team was finally able to host their heavily anticipated Showcase game on Thursday night in front of a packed Kerry Park Arena. As we were hosting our archrivals, Shawnigan, both schools sent over massive crowds of fans to support their respective teams, supplemented by parents and families who came out to support.
Traditionally, the Senior Showcase game is held in late January as an exhibition game, but this year, it had to be postponed due to capacity limits, meaning this year’s game was also the opener of the annual Ross Cup Tournament, which wraps up the season for the Ice Hockey program. Not only was the team trying to perform in front of a large section of the student body, many of whom had never seen them play or even seen a hockey game of any kind, but they were also desperate for a win in order to start their Ross Cup campaign off on the right foot.
After a terrific showing by the Girls’ team in their Showcase game, in which they won 9-5, it was time for the Boys’ team to take the ice. The energy was high in the stands and on the ice as the team was met with massive applause and chanting as we began our warm up. As the game kicked off, it was clear that both teams were, as Mr Shadlock says, “gripping their sticks a little too tight.” The nerves were certainly on display as the game quickly developed into a scrappy affair with penalties galore and big hits that certainly riled up the frenzied fans.
As both teams settled into the game and got used to the somewhat distracting surroundings, Shawnigan struck first as they caught Brentwood being a little too aggressive in the offensive zone, sending a Shawnigan player on a breakaway who made no mistake to open the scoring. Mere minutes later, with Brentwood on the power play, Kai R, Ellis ‘24, dug the puck out of the corner and sent it to the point, where Tyler A, Rogers ‘22, collected it and sniped it home for a huge game-tying goal. Tyler felt like his goal swung the momentum in Brentwood’s favour: “It felt good to get our first goal and I think our team really grew into the game after that.”
The first period ended at 1-1, and due to Ross Cup games only being two periods long, both teams only had 20 minutes left to find that next level and send their fans home happy with an all-important victory.
As the second period progressed, Brentwood continued to push as they began to take over the game, getting chance after chance but not being able to capitalize. After some heroic skating from Max S, Rogers ‘22, and some tenacious forechecking from Nick C, Ellis ‘22, my beloved linemates got me the puck as I exited the corner and blindly whacked it towards the net. Before I even saw it go in, I was mauled by my teammates and greeted by the deafening sound of a hundred screaming Brentwood students.
It was now 2-1 Brentwood with just nine minutes to go. We knew the job wasn’t done yet, and for the final nine minutes (which felt like a lifetime) every single Brentwood player put it all on the line to preserve that one-goal lead. As we reached the final 10 seconds and our loyal fans began to count down to zero, it finally sunk in. The buzzer rang and we flooded onto the ice to attack our goalie, Tanner H, Rogers ‘22. Tanner would win game MVP, and to say it was well-deserved would be an understatement. Tanner put on a show in net, making clutch save after clutch to suppress a flurry of Shawnigan chances, keeping Brentwood in the game and bringing us to victory.
We were extremely lucky to be able to put on this event amidst all of this COVID uncertainty, so a huge thank you goes out to everyone who contributed to its success. Check out Grace D, Alex ‘22’s article on Ross Cup to find out more about the girl’s Showcase game and other results from the weekend.
They were the first Showcase games of any kind in two years and it’s safe to say that they were undoubtedly successful. Congratulations to the entire Ice Hockey program on a great tournament and a fantastic year.
Will P, Whittall ‘22
Traditionally, the Senior Showcase game is held in late January as an exhibition game, but this year, it had to be postponed due to capacity limits, meaning this year’s game was also the opener of the annual Ross Cup Tournament, which wraps up the season for the Ice Hockey program. Not only was the team trying to perform in front of a large section of the student body, many of whom had never seen them play or even seen a hockey game of any kind, but they were also desperate for a win in order to start their Ross Cup campaign off on the right foot.
After a terrific showing by the Girls’ team in their Showcase game, in which they won 9-5, it was time for the Boys’ team to take the ice. The energy was high in the stands and on the ice as the team was met with massive applause and chanting as we began our warm up. As the game kicked off, it was clear that both teams were, as Mr Shadlock says, “gripping their sticks a little too tight.” The nerves were certainly on display as the game quickly developed into a scrappy affair with penalties galore and big hits that certainly riled up the frenzied fans.
As both teams settled into the game and got used to the somewhat distracting surroundings, Shawnigan struck first as they caught Brentwood being a little too aggressive in the offensive zone, sending a Shawnigan player on a breakaway who made no mistake to open the scoring. Mere minutes later, with Brentwood on the power play, Kai R, Ellis ‘24, dug the puck out of the corner and sent it to the point, where Tyler A, Rogers ‘22, collected it and sniped it home for a huge game-tying goal. Tyler felt like his goal swung the momentum in Brentwood’s favour: “It felt good to get our first goal and I think our team really grew into the game after that.”
The first period ended at 1-1, and due to Ross Cup games only being two periods long, both teams only had 20 minutes left to find that next level and send their fans home happy with an all-important victory.
As the second period progressed, Brentwood continued to push as they began to take over the game, getting chance after chance but not being able to capitalize. After some heroic skating from Max S, Rogers ‘22, and some tenacious forechecking from Nick C, Ellis ‘22, my beloved linemates got me the puck as I exited the corner and blindly whacked it towards the net. Before I even saw it go in, I was mauled by my teammates and greeted by the deafening sound of a hundred screaming Brentwood students.
It was now 2-1 Brentwood with just nine minutes to go. We knew the job wasn’t done yet, and for the final nine minutes (which felt like a lifetime) every single Brentwood player put it all on the line to preserve that one-goal lead. As we reached the final 10 seconds and our loyal fans began to count down to zero, it finally sunk in. The buzzer rang and we flooded onto the ice to attack our goalie, Tanner H, Rogers ‘22. Tanner would win game MVP, and to say it was well-deserved would be an understatement. Tanner put on a show in net, making clutch save after clutch to suppress a flurry of Shawnigan chances, keeping Brentwood in the game and bringing us to victory.
We were extremely lucky to be able to put on this event amidst all of this COVID uncertainty, so a huge thank you goes out to everyone who contributed to its success. Check out Grace D, Alex ‘22’s article on Ross Cup to find out more about the girl’s Showcase game and other results from the weekend.
They were the first Showcase games of any kind in two years and it’s safe to say that they were undoubtedly successful. Congratulations to the entire Ice Hockey program on a great tournament and a fantastic year.
Will P, Whittall ‘22