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Bronze for Saints First Hockey in Macpherson Tournament By Jake Courtepatte Competitors from Ontario, Quebec, New York and Pennsylvania descended upon St. Andrew's College last weekend for the 32nd annual Macpherson Hockey Tournament. The highly anticipated event has long been a successful outing for the hometown Saints, medaling four years in a row highlighted by three gold victories. Adding to the excitement was the school's first big chance to showcase the new $13-million LaBrier Family Arena, which opened in September, and the new home of all things Saints hockey. The 50,000 sq. ft. facility was abuzz on Friday night with fans, parents, and students alike, as the Pipes and Drums led the opening ceremonies before a ceremonial puck drop by Headmaster Kevin McHenry officially kicked things off. Taking on the Northwood School Huskies, the Saints were already riding high after a 6 – 0 shellacking of St. Francis School that morning. Alex MacDonald, who had earned three points against Northwood one week prior in a pre-tournament matchup, led the way with a goal and an assist in a 3 – 1 victory to the delight of the home crowd. Early the next morning the Saints faced adversity for perhaps the first time all tournament, falling behind only 34 seconds into a game against Ulysse Prep of Quebec. It was a different story from there on in as the home team scored three unanswered goals in an eventual 5 – 2 win. Having only allowed three goals against in three games, the Saints entered into the crossover divisional match with the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, the Saints appeared headed back to tournament supremacy. It was more of the same for the Saints in the opening minutes, as Saints regular season leading scorer J.D. Falconer put them on the board early. Goaltender Matthew Galajda answered each Sabre shot in the first period with a save. He was broken just one minute into the second, in a game where some stellar saves at both ends of the ice kept the scoreboard at a low pace. Hopes of repeating gold on new home ice were dashed late in the third by eventual tournament MVP Joshua Biasillo, who sent the Saints to the bronze medal game with a dagger to double the lead. Facing the familiar faces of divisional rivals Upper Canada College on Sunday, the Saints easily wrapped up third place in the tournament with a 3 – 0 shutout. Alex MacDonald continued his stellar play, providing the first two goals for the Saints. The Jr. Sabres would go on to defeat Northwood School 6 – 2 in the final. Despite ending up with a different colour medal than planned for, the tournament was a success in representing both the longstanding traditions of the school and showcasing the new facility. “It was exciting to host the tournament in our own arena,” said Nicholas Weedon, Tournament Co-Convener. “From the outstanding hockey on the ice to the packed house on Friday evening to the slate of events upstairs in the Yuill Andrean Room for parents, children, and alumni, the new facility served our community well.” The Saints also left the tournament with a bevy of new hardware, including two individual awards presented post-tournament. Jacob Miller earned the Robin Fraser plaque for leadership and sportsmanship, while MacDonald was named a tournament all-star after leading the tournament in points with four goals and four assists through five games. |
| Excerpt: Competitors from Ontario, Quebec, New York and Pennsylvania descended upon St. Andrew’s College last weekend for the 32nd annual Macpherson Hockey Tournament. |
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Post date: 2015-02-04 16:28:41 Post date GMT: 2015-02-04 21:28:41 Post modified date: 2015-02-19 00:06:32 Post modified date GMT: 2015-02-19 05:06:32 |
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