Varsity Saints win seventh-straight CISAA title

March 7, 2019 · 0 Comments

By Jake Courtepatte

Lucky number seven.
The varsity St. Andrew’s College Saints are at the top of the prep school hockey chain for the seventh time in a row, after sweeping Ridley College in the CISAA championship series in two games.
The two top teams in the CISAA’s premier division squared off for Game One of their best-of-three scenario on March 1 having split their regular season series at a game apiece.
The home squad Saints jumped out to a 2 – 0 lead thanks to goals from Mark Hillier and Christian MacDougall, though the Ripley team from St. Catherines tied it up to send the game to overtime.
It took only seconds into the extra frame for captain Matthew Stienburg to play the overtime hero, burying a rebound on a second chance to take a stranglehold on the series.
Game Two saw the Saints take the championship on the road on Saturday, where both Stienburg and Hillier once again buried to clinch the title in a 2 – 1 final.
The Saints finished their regular season at the top of the CISAA Division I standings, holding on to a record of 9-2-0.
The school’s youngest squad also capped off a tremendous season with a CISAA championship one day prior, with the U-12 Saints completing an undefeated schedule with a 3 – 1 win over Toronto French School.
As is yearly tradition, the varsity squad will follow up by hosting the National Independent School Invitational Championship on campus this weekend.
Twelve of the top independent teams from across Canada will hit the ice at LaBrier Arena, as well as at the Aurora Community Centre. Action kicks off on Thursday.