Oakville Beaver
By Herb Garbutt
The Oakville Rangers and Caledon Hawks needed no introductions.
The Tri-County Hockey League rivals finished tied in the minor atom AE standings with identical 22-3-3 records. Proving there was little to separate the two teams, they tied 2-2 in their first meeting at the Richard Bell Memorial tournament.
But given a second chance against their rivals, and with ties no longer an option, the Rangers staked their claim to bragging rights with a 4-1 victory to claim the division title. Kyle Smrz had a goal and an assist and Ethan Jackson, James Robinson and Tyler Spence also scored.
“We’ve gone to other tournaments and the home team has always won, so it was extra exciting for the boys to win in front of the their friends and family,” said Rangers’ coach Trent Erickson.
Caledon struck first but the Rangers tied it up before the end of the opening period, their first of four unanswered goals.
“Once we got that one back, we got our legs and it gave us some momentum,” the Rangers' coach said. Tyler Garrett, Olin James, Aidan Livingstone and Robbie Marchioli picked up assists in the final while Johnnie Krush earned the win in net.
Oakville went undefeated at the tournament, blanking the Burlington Bulldogs 1-0 in its opener and following it with a 7-3 win over Brampton and the 2-2 tie with Caledon. The Rangers then beat the Bulldogs 3-1 in the semis to secure their place in the final.
Spence had a goal and an assist in the semi while Matthew Madeley and Nathan Tetley had the Rangers' other goals. Maxximus Bettiol and Robbie Marchioli drew assists while Will Benakopoulos recorded the victory.
The tournament will serve as excellent preparation for Oakville, which is set to begin the playoffs.
“We have three returning players and the other 14 played house league last year, so this will be their first taste of rep playoffs,” Erickson said. “They are very excited to start the playoffs. The boys have worked really hard and I think their record reflects that.”
The tournament continues a late season run that saw Oakville lose just once in final 19 league games (16-1-2). That lone defeat was a narrow 5-4 decision to Milton, which finished just two points ahead of both the Rangers and Caledon in the standings.
During that stretch, goalies Krush and Benakopoulos allowed one goal or less 12 times.
“Our goaltenders are really strong and all of our players backcheck hard and work hard on defence,” Erickson said.
The Rangers have proven very capable offensively as well, finishing second in the league in goals after averaging just under five a game.
They’ll look to continue their winning ways with a long run in the OMHA playoffs.
http://www.insidehalton.com/sports-story/6219392-minor-atom-ae-rangers-top-
Herb Garbutt is a sports reporter with the Oakville Beaver, Burlington Post, and Milton Canadian Champion. He can be reached at [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter and Halton Sports on Facebook.