The Minor Peewee Red Oakville Knights won the Hillcrest Select Tournament in Toronto on January 29, in a thrilling overtime game against the Ted Reeve Tornadoes.
The Tornadoes struck first, leading 1-0 in the opening period. Knights' winger Will C rushed for the net in an effort to even the score when he was hauled down, earning a penalty shot. As he prepared for the penalty shot, the crowd went wild. "There was so much pressure." he recalled after the game. "Everyone was screaming!" But as the ref blew the whistle, Will shut out the noise and barrelled towards the goalie. He deked him out, darting to the blocker side and firing the puck into the top of the net to tie the game.
In the second period, Nolan powered down the right boards and passed to Jase, who tapped the puck in to give the Knights the lead. But the Tornadoes soon evened the score in the third to send it to overtime.
The 4 -on-4 overtime saw the Knights pressing again and again on the Tornadoes goaltender. But they couldn't break through until the dying seconds of the period. Defenceman Sam made a hard shot from the point, and Nolan tipped it. The Tornadoes' defencemen tried to clear the puck but Jase grabbed it and blasted it into the top corner to win the championship.
The game was a rematch for the two teams, with the Tornadoes having blanked the Knights 3-0 in the opening day of the tournament. Knights goalie Aidan went on to earn shutouts against the Warren Park Eagles and the Vaughan Rangers.
Also contributing to the Knights' victory were Adam, Cole, Douglas, Emanuel, Iain, James, Joshua, Ryan, Willem and William .
The Knights are coached by Derek O'Reilley, Dave Fox and Tim Callaghan, and managed by Ketly Appleton and Shelley Poulton.