After capturing the WOAA league Championship by defeating BCH one week prior, the U18 Meteors sponsored by Hudson's Chevy Buick and GMC qualified to face the best twelve B and BB teams in the province in quest of an All Ontario Championships held in Windsor.
Mitchell would draw the Strathroy Rockets in their opening game. After a scoreless first, Tanner Meinen would ignite the Meteors offence burying his first of two goals early in the second, while linemate Connor Lockhart would double the lead just 1:35 later and the team wouldn't look back. Meinen would factor in on all 6 Mitchell goals (2g,4a) while linemates Lockhart (2g,3a) and Talbot Geiger (1g,1a) led the offence to a 6-0 victory. Mitchell goaltenders Decklan Jermol and Thomas Sheldon would split the shutout win. Vincent Voros added a single goal with Rhett Terpstra adding an assist.
Game 2 would see battle versus the Collingwood Blues. The Blues would build a 2-0 lead into the halfway mark of the game. A fantastic effort and a rocket of a shot from veteran Drew Scherbarth (assisted by Brayden Glauser and Matthew Crawford) would cut the lead to 2-1 briefly before Collingwood would strike again to reset the two goal lead. With just over a minute left in the second frame Voros would convert a Connor McLean pass to cut the Blues lead to 3-2. The third would see back and forth action as the teams would battle to a 4-4 draw. Brayden Vosper and Meinen would score timely Mitchell goals in the comeback with Crawford, Geiger and Lockhart adding assists. Sheldon would provide solid goaltending in the Meteors net and with a win and tie, Mitchell would finish on top of their pool and earn a critical bye to the quarter finals.
The Thorold Blackhawks would defeat Ingersoll to earn a quarter final match up against Mitchell. This game would be a hard fought, physical match for both teams. Goaltender Jermol would make some key saves early in the game keeping the Blackhawks scoreless. Despite chances at both ends, the teams would start the third period still locked in a scoreless battle. Once again the Meteors would get a key goal from Scherbarth midway through the third to open up the scoring with assists from Evan MacArthur and Jared Vosper. McLean (from Voros) and Meinen scoring just 56 seconds later would add insurance markers late in the third to secure a ticket to the Sunday's semi finals with a 3 to 0 win backed by a Jermol shutout.
Parry Sound Shamrocks would bump off a strong Napanee team to earn a spot against the Meteors Sunday morning in the semi finals. Lockhart would open the scoring 9 minutes into the first with Meinen and Terpstra assisting. The Meteors would continue to pressure Parry Sound and it paid off as the Meteor offence would add three second period goals from Voros (assisted by Dawson Dietz and McLean) , Meinen (from Glauser and Scherbarth) and McLean (from B Vosper). Late in the third, Voros would add his second of the game from Dietz and B Vosper. Jermol would pick up the shutout win in a strong showing by the entire Meteors team.
The Ennismore Eagles, a familiar foe from 2 weeks ago at the International Tournament of Champions would eliminate Lambeth in the other semi final setting up the final test in the Meteor's Road to the Red hats. Mitchell would use a complete team effort in the final, executing at both ends of the ice. Meinen would continue his offensive surge opening the scoring 4 minutes into the first with help from Geiger. The teams would play a tight checking game for remainder of the first and half of the second with action at both ends but no scoring. Voros and Lockhart would both score in the second to open up a 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission. Mitchell would play a defensively sound third and would capitalize on their chances with both Voros and Meinen adding their second goals of the game to secure a 5-0 final. Dietz would add 2 assists with single helpers going to Caleb Templeman, McLean, Lockhart and Meinen. Jermol continued his strong play and backstopped another shut out win for the OMHA U18 Tier 1 Championship.
The championship win wraps up a very successful season for the team. They finish the year with an impressive 43-10-7 record. The team had many accomplishments this season including the OMHA U18 Tier 1 Championship, International Tournament of Champions (Silverstick) Champions, WOAA Tier 1 Cruickshank Champions, Wingham Regional Silverstick Champions and Finalists at the Roy Beechey Memorial Tournament in Tillsonburg. This team becomes the first Mitchell Midget / U18 team to win an All Ontario Championship in 20 years with the last being in 2001-2002.
Photo Credit: Jeff Lockhart
