Ontario Hockey Academy (OHA) U17 Maroon captured the programs first ever Canadian Sport School Hockey League (CSSHL) Eastern Championship with a 5-3 win over Mount Academy U17 Sunday in the U17 Eastern Championship Final.
Both teams felt each other out in the opening minutes of the game before the last four minutes of the period saw three goals scored. Brayden Besner (1G, 1A) got OHA on the board with a goal on a 3-on-2. Justin Gregoire (1G, 3A) would extend the lead two minutes later, banking the puck in off Oliver Kiraly (20/24). On a 3-on-2 of their own, Mount would find their first goal with 11 seconds in the period as Tristan St. Gelais found the back of the net.
OHA scored the lone second period goal as Takanobu Hiraga took a William Gosselin (2G, 3A) feed and buried it on the power play.
Vincenzo Di Rocco (1G, 2A) gave Mount life, scoring 2:26 into the third as they began to dominate the period. Looking for the tying goal, Mount was caught cheating and Gosselin was sent in all alone, making no mistake and extending the lead midway through the third. Aiden Diamond would score for Mount with 1:10 left but a Gosselin empty net goal just 30 seconds later secured OHA the championship.
Bourget College were the first ever winners of the U17 Eastern Championship’s last season but did not compete in the division this year.