Blackhawks devastate Florida Gulf Coast

Caledon’s minor bantam Hawks took on all comers at the Florida Gulf Coast tournament, taking home the championship hardware.

The first “hurricane” of the season struck the Florida Gulf Coast when the Caledon Blackhawks minor bantam select squad swept ashore and made their way to the Ellenton Sports Complex for a tournament against the local Florida teams.

Leaving a trail of devastation in their wake, the Hawks advanced to the semifinals against the Gulf Coast Flames. The buzz going around the rink was that the Canadians were pulling out all the stops for this critical game.

Right from the opening face-off both teams fought for dominance, however, two unassisted Flames’ goals put the Hawks behind the eight ball.

Michael Bellisario, Warren Stroud and Harry Gaebler set the tone for the second period, rocking the building with bone-crushing body checks and serving notice that the Canadians were there to play. The Hawks’ first goal came while shorthanded when hard-working Robert Keszeg found Andrew Fellin out front early in the period. Some outstanding saves by Taylor Elkins kept the Hawks in the game and lit a fire under the Blackhawks’ offence.

The tenacious checking of the Hawks began to pay off late in the second when Damian Commisso stripped a Flames player of the puck and made a heads-up pass to Kyle Sammut sitting alone out front, to tie the game. With the period winding down the Flames went ahead again on another unassisted goal.

A between-the-periods strategy session proved to be effective as the Hawks took to the ice in the third period. The line of Commisso, Sammut and Zachary Moszynski were quick off the mark and notched their second goal of the game when Moszynski hammered home a pass from Sammut. The defensive core of Anthony Gasbarre, Christopher Rotondo, Joseph DiMarco Clarke Stewart, Gaebler and Vincent “Boom Boom” Minicucci continually destroyed any Flames who tried to cross into Canadian territory. Offensively the Hawks continued their attack as Justin Lollino’s, and Vincent Maiolino’s hard work in the corners paid off with a feed to Fellin for his 2nd goal of the night.

Commisso, Sammut, and Moszynski maintained the pressure and were rewarded when Sammut found the top of the net for the Hawks’ fifth goal. The frustrations of the Flames began to show when at 9:23 of the 3rd they took a boarding penalty. Commisso, Sammut, and Moszynski were the hot line of the night and were sent out for the power play.

Their precision passing lead to the Hawks’ final goal when Sammut again found the roof, this time from Moszynski.

Final Game

Word that the Canucks were in the finals against the Flames spread through the rink and soon filled the stands. Midget players slated to play later in the day lined the boards to catch a glimpse of the Canadians. For this important game the Hawks decided to wear their 3rd jersey.

The rink went deathly quiet when Team Canada stepped on the ice. The boys knew this was more than just another hockey game

and they were out to prove that they were the best. Torrey Glendinning strapped on the pads for this critical game between the pipes.

Everyone expected another battle of strength to dominate this game, however, this time the strategy was speed and agility. The first period was all Blackhawks as they continually hemmed the Flames in their own zone. The constant offensive pressure had the Flames back on their heels and resulted in the Hawks’ first goal when Keszeg took a perfect pass from Lollino and fired it past the bewildered Flames goaltender. Wave after wave of Blackhawks flooded over the Flames’ blue line and pressed home the attack, peppering the goalie with shots from every angle.

Not wanting to let the Flames regain their composure head coach Joe Maiolino sent the line of Sammut, Moszynski and Commisso out with instructions to get another goal. Their hard work paid off when Commisso fired the puck home for the Hawks’ 2nd goal. The Flames began to mount an attack during the 2nd period, but the lightning-fast reflexes of Glendinning ensured that his net remained a no puck zone.

The Hawks brought out their defensive game for the 3rd period in an attempt to keep the Flames from catching fire. At the 6:42 mark of the 3rd period the Flames made it onto the scoreboard on a point shot that was deflected off of two legs and a post, past the outstretched glove of goaltender Glendinning. With a new lease on life the Flames continued their attempts at scoring the equalizer, but the disciplined positional play of the Hawks nullified every attempt at crossing the Canadian blue line.

The final score was Canada 2, Flames, 1.

Check out the new trophy at the Sheardown Memorial Arena in Bolton. Well done Caledon!