‘An incredible feeling’
Tyler Caseley backstops Yarmouth Mariners to league championship
Tyler Caseley was in novice hockey the first time he strapped on a pair of goalie pads. The team’s normal goalie was sick, so he figured why not give it a try?
Yarmouth, N.S. – Tyler Caseley was in novice hockey the first time he strapped on a pair of goalie pads.
The team’s normal goalie was sick, so he figured why not give it a try?
“My mom didn’t want me to,” he recalled. “My dad said, ‘Oh yeah, let him do it. He’ll hate it, getting pucks shot at him’.”
But the youngster’s reaction was the opposite.
“After I got off the ice I fell in love and knew that’s what I wanted to do,” said the Kensington native.
Fast-forward to April 2019 and Caseley and his Yarmouth Mariners are the Maritime Junior Hockey League’s Canadian Tire Cup champions, following a fourgame sweep of the Campbellton Tigers.
Caseley, who won the league’s top rookie award this season, put in a stellar performance between the pipes throughout the three playoff rounds and had two shutouts against Campbellton. While the Mariners finished first in their division during the regular season, Caseley says they stepped up their play when the playoffs began.
“That was some of the best hockey we played all year,” he says. “I’m just proud of each and every one of the guys. It’s just an incredible feeling.”
The Mariners completed the sweep Friday with a 7-6 overtime victory. Forward Connor Peveril of Sackville, N.S., had the titleclinching goal.
“At the time I was kind of blacked out. I remember I scored the goal and then we were all celebrating. Someone said, ‘What did you do?’ and I said, ‘I have no clue’,” he says with a laugh.
Friday’s victory required coming back from a two-goal deficit four times during the game.
The Mariners arrived back in Yarmouth, N.S., Saturday night to the delight and excitement of hundreds of fans there to greet them.
Matthew Barron, who grew up playing minor hockey in Yarmouth, has been playing on the Mariners for four years. He was named the MVP of the playoffs after recording 17 points in 14 games
“When you have a championship team you have probably nine or 10 guys who were probably deserving of the award,” says Barron, son of head coach Laurie Barron. “But obviously it means a lot and I’m very happy.”
The Mariners next road trip will be to Amherst, N.S., when they play in the Fred Page Cup Eastern Canadian championship, May 1-5.