© Photo by Nicholas Mercer/The Compass
The Ascension Collegiate Astros male ball hockey team went undefeated en route to the AAAA provincial championship held at Ascension Collegiate in Bay Roberts March 28-29. The Astros defeated the O’Donel High Patriots, of Mount Pearl, 10-5 in the final. Members of the team are: front (l-r) — goaltenders Lucas Barrett and Riley Akerman; back — coach Trevor Dixon, Taylor Norman, Brandon Moriarity, Adam Oates, Willy Hayes, Brady Barrett, Bradley Barrett, Johnny Butler, Michael Critch, Ryan Dawson, Christian Dawe and coach Fred Simms.
The Astros went undefeated on their way to the championship, decimating opponents along the way. Each game, besides the title match and opening contest, was decided by the seven-goal mercy rule.
In the championship, Ascension was pushed by O’Donel High of Mount Pearl but used a strong second half to bury the Patriots 10-5.
Captain Brady Barrett led the offensive charge for the Astros with three goals. Also picking up markers were Ryan Dawson (2), Taylor Norman (2), Christian Dawe, Brandon Moriarity and Bradley Barrett.
“We wanted to stay disciplined,” said assistant captain Adam Oates.
The victory was a load off of the back of Oates and the rest of the senior players on the team. It was O’Donel that eliminated the Astros in the semifinals last year.
The previous two seasons the Astros had fallen painfully short of the title.
“This is our third year, and it felt good to get the monkey off our back,” said Oates.
The tournament
The Astros got things started with Game 1 against O’Donel, with the home team winning easily by a margin of 11-5.
Next, Ascension thoroughly outplayed Marystown, cruising to an 8-1 victory.
In its last game of the round robin, the Astros were too much for the Stephenville High Spartans as they defeated the west coast team 9-2.
In the semifinals, Ascension seemed like they were in for a stern test from Discovery Collegiate of Bonavista. However, the Astros steamrolled the Destroyers 9-2 en route to the championship.
For Oates, the AAAA title was a successful way to cap off his high school ball hockey career.
“It’s a great feeling,” he said.
Laval grabs AAA silver
Meanwhile, the Laval High Cavaliers male ball hockey team fell just short in its AAA championship bid at King’s Academy in Harbour Breton.
Playing the hometown Warriors, the Placentia-based Cavaliers brought home the silver medal after a 7-5 defeat.
In a division with Dorset Academy of Green Bay South and King’s Academy, Laval posted a round robin record of two wins and two losses.
The Cavaliers opened the tournament with a pair of one-goal games. First, it was a 4-3 defeat of Dorset Academy. That was followed by a 6-5 loss to King’s Academy.
Laval got back in the win column with a victory over Dorset (5-2), before dropping another game to the Warriors (9-2). In the semifinal, the Cavaliers defeated Fogo Island 7-6 to punch its ticket to the final.
nmercer@cbncompass.ca