‘Heart and determination’: PJHL title a family affair
Ellis brothers Connor, Cole part of Schmalz Cup winning team
LAKEFIELD — Family was a common theme among Lakefield Chiefs players and staff as they celebrated a Schmalz Cup championship on home ice Tuesday night.
Every player, coach and manager talked in post-game interviews of how close-knit a group they were and cited it as a major reason for their success.
It was literally a family affair for the Ellis brothers, Connor, in his last year, and younger brother Cole.
“It’s great for our family,” said Connor Ellis.
“My brother and I had only played together once in high school and, unfortunately, we weren’t able to win a championship. To now actually do it with him on the team is unbelievable.”
He said it was a great way to complete his Junior C career.
“I’ve never been on a championship winning team my whole life so to make it this far in my last year of hockey is a pictureperfect ending,” he said.
Mitch Ogilvie commuted from the University of Guelph to be a part of it.
“We’re a family all the way,” Ogilvie said.
“I knew it was going to be hard having to drive all the time but I knew it was going to be worth it. I love all these guys so much. They are so fun to be with and it’s such a good team to be a part of. It was such an amazing run.”
Chiefs GM Tyler Revoy has been involved in sports for 27 years from player to coach to manager and he’s never been a part of something as special as this, he said.
“These 23 guys showed up every day to battle hard,” Revoy said.
“You get overwhelmed with emotion. I saw goals go in and I started to tear up. Apart from my daughter being born it has to be the second-best day of my life.”
Revoy said the Chiefs family extends to their fans so they were happy to give them a celebration on home ice. Hundreds of people were on the ice following the trophy presentation getting pictures and sharing in the moment.
“We have the best fans in the league. They travelled no matter where we were going. We had fan buses to Stayner and Glanbrook. During the week people were taking time off work to come and watch us play. To win this in front of them the way we did, it’s nice to give back to them.”
Mike Connelly said the way they came together as a team was special.
“I’ve never played on a tighter team,” he said. “I love every single one of these guys.”
A number of Chiefs battled through injuries with top scorer Matthew McIntyre fighting through a separated shoulder to never miss a game. He almost dropped the Schmalz Cup trying to hoist it because of the pain. Matt Carroll came back earlier than expected from a shoulder injury and scored some big goals including the winner in the final game.
“It’s a testament to the heart and determination this team has,” Connelly said.