Peach Kings boast MVP, best defender, top goalies

The most valuable player and top defenceman during the South Bloomfield Division’s first season in the Provincial Junior Hockey League are continuing to make a name for themselves in its second.

In seven playoff games, Blake Venneri has three goals and four assists for the Grimsby Peach Kings after scoring 24 goals and 31 assists in league play in being selected as the junior-C division’s MVP.

The 21-year-old forward from St. Catharines was one of four members of the Peach Kings awarded regular-season honours.

Evan Storie of Winona was named the top defenceman in the seventeam division while Grimsby’s goaltending tandem of Nico Balice of Niagara Falls and Nolan Verardo from Stoney Creek combined to have the lowest goals-against average in the regular season.

Storie, who turned 19 on Sunday, had 10 goals and 26 assists in 39 regular-season games before netting two goals and collecting five assists in seven playoff games.

Balice, 21, recorded five shutouts and compiled a 2.12 goals-against average and .924 save percentage in 20 games in league play and a 2.61 goals-against average and .910 save percentage seeing action in all seven of the team’s playoff games.

Verardo, also 21, had one shutout, a 2.53 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage in 20 regularseason games.

Top-seeded Grimsby visits the No. 2 seed Dundas Blues on Thursday night at Market Street Arena in Hamilton hoping to return to the win column and take a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven final.

On Sunday, Graham Rooney’s game-winner 6:24 into the first overtime gave the visiting Blues a 4-3 victory.

Spencer Marler, with two goals, and Andrew Kalantzakos scored in regulation for Dundas while Quinn McIntosh, Ben Switzer and Venneri provided the offence for the Peach Kings.

Game 5 is Friday night in Grimsby, with a sixth game, if needed, Sunday in Hamilton.

The defending playoff champion Glanbrook Rangers also were wellrepresented when South Bloomfield Division awards were announced for the 2023-24 season. Ryan Burke led the division in scoring with 31 goals and 40 assists for 71 points, and Tiago Rocha was the top goaltender with a 2.78 goalsagainst average and .921 save percentage in 22 games.

The Hagersville Hawks earned honours as coaching staff of the year and, in Marcus Lazarevic, also had the division’s most sportsmanlike player. Tim Dolan of the Dunnville Mudcats was rookie of the year.