Stoney Creek Second Best In Canada

Saturday night at the CBS Arena in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, the Allan Cup was on the line as the ACHL's Stoney Creek Tigers faced off against the AESHL's Clarenville Caribous. When the final buzzer sounded, it was the Caribous who were crowned Allan Cup Champions for the second time in franchise history, defeating the Tigers 6-3. For the fourth consecutive year, the home province of Newfoundland celebrated a championship, with Clarenville lifting the Cup in front of a jubilant home crowd.

The opening frame was a tentative one for both sides, though the game quickly opened up into an end-to-end affair with few whistles. Clarenville held an early edge in shots, but much of their offensive work came from long range and offered little trouble for Tigers netminder Daniel Svedin. Stoney Creek made them pay when, at the 10:11 mark, Kyle Essery took a pass from Paul Geiger at the point, settled into the slot, and buried a shot into the top corner to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. That would be the lone goal of the period.

To start the second period, Stoney Creek made a change between the pipes, with Matt Sagrott coming on in relief of Svedin. The goaltender swap seemed to signal a broader shift in momentum, as the Caribous wasted little time taking control, rattling off three unanswered goals in the frame. Joel Bishop drew Clarenville even at 5:37, his shot from the point deflecting off a Stoney Creek stick and into the net. Just under four minutes later, James Melindy gave the Caribous the lead when he walked in from the blue line untouched and finished from the faceoff circle at 9:33. Barely a minute after that, Liam Leonard made it 3-1, dancing around the Stoney Creek defense before sliding the puck past Sagrott.

The final period began quietly, but around the ten-minute mark both teams found another gear. Stoney Creek pulled within one when Camron Sault took a feed from Geiger entering the offensive zone and beat AJ Whiffen to make it 3-2. However, any hopes of a Tigers comeback were quickly dashed when Melindy struck again on the power play, potting his second of the game to restore Clarenville's two-goal cushion at 4-2. Adam Dawe effectively put the game out of reach with an empty-net goal with three minutes remaining. Both teams would add one more goal apiece to close out the scoring, with Darren McCormick finding the net for Stoney Creek and Ryan Dawson adding a second empty-netter for Clarenville, setting the final score at 6-3.

Whiffen earned the championship victory, turning aside 30 of the 33 shots he faced, while Sagrott and Svedin combined for 30 saves in the Stoney Creek net.

While the outcome wasn't what the Tigers had hoped for, Stoney Creek and their fans represented the ACHL with pride and character throughout the tournament. Their grit on the ice earned them no shortage of admirers in Newfoundland, and they leave having made new fans far from home. A sincere thank you goes out to the Conception Bay Blues for hosting an outstanding tournament filled with high-caliber hockey from all teams involved. The location of next year's Allan Cup has not yet been announced, though word is expected in the coming weeks.

Scoring
1^st Period
Tigers – Kyle Essery (2), Paul Geiger, Mike Ruberto | 10:11

2^nd Period
Caribous – Joel Bishop (3), Evan White | 5:37
Caribous – James Melindy (1), Evan White, Joel Bishop | 9:33
Caribous – Liam Leonard (2), Brett Shute, Kyle Robinson | 10:25

3^rd Period
Tigers – Camron Sault (2), Paul Geiger, Dan Poliziani | 10:30
Caribous – James Melindy (2), Jordan Escott, Ryan Dawson | 13:28 PPG
Caribous – Adam Dawe (2), Unassisted | 17:00 ENG
Tigers – Darren McCormick (1), Unassisted | 17:41
Caribous – Ryan Dawson (2), Jordan Escott, James Melindy | 19:53 ENG

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For more information contact Allan Cup Hockey Commissioner Rick Richardson at 905-328-4727 or email: rickystar911@outlook.com