Having to play three times in a 26-hour span is no easy task at any level of hockey, to do all of it during an elimination scenario makes what Ontario Hockey Academy Prep (OHA Prep) did all much sweeter.
OHA Prep was entered this finals as the away team, winning back-to-back games on Saturday to give themselves a berth into the finals versus a more rested Bishop’s College School.
The first period would feature a lot of shutdown defence and goaltending from the likes of Sky Willer (27/32) and Oliver Kiraly (41/43). It wasn’t until late in the first where OHA Prep captain Adam Racine (1G, 1A) wired one past Willer to give his team the initial lead.
Come the second, OHA Prep started to find their groove and there was no looking back. Takanobu Hiraga (2G) scored back-to-back goals just 10-seconds apart to put OHA Prep up a score of 3-0, completely shifting momentum into their hands. Later down the line, Marcus Fjeld and Oliver Nilsgaard would connect to once again increase their lead while the Czech-import Tomas Lukes added another to their total in the latter end of the frame. OHA Prep would leave the second up a score of 5-0.
Bishop’s College would show more push in the third despite the odds of a five goal comeback. Elliot Wright got the scoring started for Bishop’s just over five minutes into the frame while Wyatt Scott would add a second some time later. OHA Prep HC Brent Loney would use his timeout after surrendering the second goal to bring his team back down to Earth for the final moments of the contest. From then on out, OHA Prep was doing everything in their power defensively to hold off the potent 6-on-5 pressure from Bishop’s.
A dump in from Bishop’s would bounce just wide of the goal, which Kiraly opted to play and ultimately lift down the ice. Kiraly’s clearance ultimately ended up in the back of Bishop’s empty cage for the second goalie goal in CSSHL history, first in the Eastern Division. After Kiraly’s goal and 41-save performance, OHA Prep was able to seal up the Eastern U18 title with nearly all the odds stacked against them.
This is the second title Ontario Hockey Academy has brought home since the conception of the CSSHL Eastern Division, succeeding last season’s OHA Maroon team that took home the Eastern U17 title.