Mount Pearl Christmas Tournament Comes to an Exciting Finish

news2015-12-31
Mount Pearl Christmas Tournament Comes to an Exciting Finish
12 teams from the Don Johnson Hockey League squared off at the Glacier on Wednesday evening in pursuit of six division titles in the 23rd Annual Christmas Tournament hosted by the Mount Pearl Minor Hockey Association. Two titles were decided in overtime, but two required a shoot-out to declare a winner. Most games averaged about 200 fans each and the players responded in exciting fashion. The CBR Red Renegades got a shoot-out goal from Evan Brenton to defeat the St. John's Caps 3-2 in the Atom B final. The Red Renegades went undefeated in the tournament. CBR also claimed the Atom A title by the same score and once again against a strong Caps squad, thanks to three goals in the shoot-out compared to two from the Caps' snipers. Both teams finished the event with identical 5 and 1 records. In Peewee action, Brandon Toope of the Northeast Eagles busted through the CBR Renegade defense in overtime to claim victory for his team. It was the fifth win of the tournament for the Eagles, and only the second loss for the Renegades. The Peewee A division gold medal game also went to overtime. Zachary Eustace tapped in a rebound from a Logan Bishop-Wade shot to send the Scorpions' hockey gloves into the air. Bishop-Wade figured in all three Scorpion tallies, scoring twice. Nathan Oldford and Connor Molloy scored for the Cobras, who carried a perfect 5 and 0 record and the best goals against average into the final. The Scorpions put their Player of the Game award around the hung jersey of Logan Cuza, a very skilled player who missed the tournament due to emergency surgery (recovering well we might add). Gestures like this one make the DJHL stand out. St. John's Caps claimed the Bantam B title with a decisive 3-0 victory over the Avalon Celtics. The Caps firepower came from the sticks of Colin Brace, Devon Murphy, and Jacob Cole. Luke Gosse earned Caps Player of the Game for his shut-out performance. The Caps finished the tournament with 4 wins, a tie and 1 loss. The Celtics team delivered a very respectable performance with 2 wins, 2 ties and 2 losses in a close division. With the final buzzer of the well-organized tournament, came victory and the Bantam A crown for the RBC Crushers in a dominating 5-1 effort against the RBC Thrashers. The Thrashers rolled into the final with a very impressive undefeated record, but seemed to run out of fuel early as the Crushers (4 and 1 in round robin play) attacked with vigor. The Crushers' offense was led by Eric and Evan Knight and Sean Hickey, combining for four goals. George Walsh chipped in the other marker, a superb five-hole tally after busting through the Thrashers defense. Brandon Summers' shut-out bid ended when Zack Snook ripped a hard wrist shot by him with just 30 seconds to go. The DJHL salutes the many volunteers who made it possible for all our teams to participate in such a quality tournament.