Midget Lakers win back-to-back Classics
Tommy Collins double-clutched for the Peterborough Currie Tire/Hybrid Fitness Midget Lakers on Sunday.
Collins scored the overtime winner in both a 4-3 semifinal win against the Nepean Knights and 3-2 victory over the Windsor Warlocks at the 33rd StringKing Laker Classic final at the Memorial Centre.
It gave the midgets back-toback titles at the Classic.
“Big players step up in big games and Tommy stepped up,” said Lakers’ coach Jeff Ralph. “I’m very proud of that kid. He’s worked hard.”
Collins scored twice in the final with Caleb Connell also scoring. Jackson Hainer making some big saves in goal.
Collins said it was a team effort. After tying their opening game against Brampton, they won their next five.
“We started to come together as a team after tying Brampton,” said Collins. “We built off that and kept winning.”
Ralph said his group was motivated.
“At the start of the year I had each kid write down three goals they wanted to accomplish this year,” said Ralph. “Every single kid said they wanted to win our own tournament. I remember playing in this as a young kid and the memories last forever.”
Zane Dalpe and Joshua Rosa scored for Windsor.
Two other Lakers’ teams reached finals including the Hobie’s Sports Peewee Lakers who fell 5-3 to the Orangeville Northmen after leading 3-2 early in the third period.
Finn Watson, Kaleb Parkhurst and Porter Martone scored for Peterborough. Martone added two assist and Watson one. Tye Tovell scored two goals for Orangeville while Sean Costigan scored the winner and Holton Marshall and Dylan Cordingley also scored. Vincent Onofrio had three assists.
The Westmore Poleline Electric Tyke Lakers fell one goal short of repeating as Classic champions. They lost 5-4 to the Whitby Warriors in the final.
Ryder Evans had three goals for Peterborough and Evan Fitzgerald one. Lucas Craney scored twice, including the winner, for Whitby while Nicholas Sorichetti had two goals and Braydon Cornacchia one.
The Trans Canada Nissan/Lax Shack Novice Lakers and Health Care Relocations Bantam Lakers failed to reach finals. Also participating in friendly games for the first time in tournament history were the paperweight Lakers.
Orangeville won the novice final 7-5 over Centre Wellington. Orangeville also won the bantam title beating Nepean 6-5 in overtime.