MANITOULIN—The Manitoulin Mustangs boys’ hockey team may not be going to the NOSSA (Northern Ontario Secondary School Athletics) championships next month, but they finished their season strong in the top four of the Sudbury District Secondary Schools’ Athletic Association (SDSSAA) boys’ hockey A division.
The team fought hard, making it to the semi-finals against the St. Charles Cardinals, but unfortunately lost the best two-out-of-three semi-final games.
“We lost our first game 5-1, but they came back strong in the second game only losing 5-3,” said coach Brad Bond. “They played strong, but just didn’t have any luck around the net.”
Due to their spot in the top four of the A division, the team got a second shot at NOSSA for the AAA division.
“We had a one game showdown against Confederation (Secondary School), but we lost 2-1,” explained Mr. Bond. “It was a really close game and we outshot them 28-14. We had a couple (shots) that hit the posts and cross bar, but what really got us was in the third period. With only four minutes left we pulled our goalie and scored, but the ref said he lost sight of the puck and the goal was disallowed. We were disappointed, but the guys played well and did their best.”
Mr. Bond said that, overall, the Mustangs had a great season despite not making it to NOSSA.
“The boys really came together as a team by the end of the season and fought hard,” Mr. Bond commented. “They made it into the top four and in the big picture had a good season.”
The Mustangs coach has high hopes for next year as many of the players will be staying on, in addition to strong new players.
