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Kings claim Cherrey Cup
» Elmira gets its revenge on Cambridge to emerge as top team in Mid-Western league
BY: MARC MIQUEL HELSEN
The Sugar Kings exacted sweet revenge over the Cambridge Winter Hawks this week, making up for last year’s outcome by claiming the Cherrey Cup.
Elmira went into the Galt Arena Gardens Apr. 5 up 3-2 in the conference final, and posted a 6-1 win to take the trophy from the defending Mid-Western Junior Hockey League champions.
It was the Kings’ first title since 2002, and their fifth since 1978.
“You hear people win championships and they say, ‘words don’t describe it.’ I don’t even know if it’s sunk in yet,” said coach Geoff Haddaway after Saturday’s win in Cambridge. “It certainly means a lot to a lot of us who are new to the organization and old to not only beat a Cambridge team that we respect so much, but to do it in their barn just means so much.”
After a humiliating loss to the Hawks during last year’s playoffs, the Kings got off to a shaky start this year. Losing 4-1 in Elmira, the Kings looked nervous and maybe even haunted by the specter of the previous year. But they bounced back quickly, posting solid back-to-back wins: 6-5 on Mar. 29 and 5-4 on Mar. 30. On Apr. 1, the Kings boosted their series lead three games to one and looked poised to deliver the coup de grace, but were tripped up in game five by the Hawks in a 4-1 home loss.
But rather than dwell on that roadblock the Kings took to the Cambridge ice the following Saturday and set out with one simple objective.
“No disrespect to Cambridge, but there was no way we were losing tonight. The look in our guys’ eyes and what happened to them in our home rink; there was just no way we were losing. No way,” said Haddaway.
After a split regular season series (2-2-2), the Kings got the better of their bitter enemies in the playoffs. The revenge was oh so sweet.
“Feels awesome to put those guys out. Everybody was saying after the game when we lost that they were going to come back and beat us. Said, no way to that,” said defenceman Patrick Shantz, who made the jump from the Junior D Applejacks midway through the season.
“I came here with a game-plan and that’s step one right there: going to the Cherrey Cup. Came here to win the whole thing.”
Last Saturday the Kings were the first to get on the board late in the first period when Garrett Rank scored, assisted by Brent Freeman and Michael Therrien. Both teams battled hard for possession of the puck, but Elmira showed the most offensive initiative, hammering Dave Clement, who got yanked in the second period, with 14 shots. Elmira’s Dan Morrison was busy in his own end, shutting the door on all of Cambridge’s nine first-frame shots.
Jeremy Hilliard added to the Elmira lead with two second-period tallies at 2:33 (John Lunney, Brock Zinken) and 7:21. A speedy Freeman scored shorthanded at 14:12 and hulking Addison Fisher added his own at 15:28 to make it a 5-0 game.
The far superior Kings pressed the Cambridge net and wore the team down to a nub, shelling Louie George, last year’s hero, with 15 shots; by comparison the Hawks were only able to pester Morrison – who was as solid as ever – with a meagre eight.
“We just decided to come up with our best game of the year,” said Haddaway.
In the third period, Rank added his second of the night on the power play (Therrien, Scott Lepold) to make it 6-0. The Hawks scrambled at the beginning of the third to reverse the course of the game but the reality of that quickly slipped away and the Hawks instead focused on leaving their mark by ruining Morrison’s shutout. At 13:37, Jacob Chiblow – after a flurry of preceding shots and an acrobatic Morrison – did just that on the power play, converting on a Kurt Thorner, Cody Hall helper. But other than blemish Morrison’s clean slate the Cambridge goal did little else.
As the dying seconds of the game ticked away, the Sugar Kings stormed the ice in celebration, eager to hoist the Cherrey Cup.
“You can’t really describe it. I mean everyone’s just going nuts; especially for the guys who were here last year, it’s just twice as nice because they did lose last year and they were so close,” said Morrison.
Among some of the players who will graduate out of the Junior B system this year, captain John Lunney underlined the great feeling of finally clinching the Cherrey Cup with his squad, and of being able “to go out with a bang.”
Instrumental in leading his team through the playoff run, Lunney deflected praise and said it was only possible through the hard work of the entire team.
“A great bunch of guys who worked hard all year,” said the captain, noting that the successful playoff bid began with the man between the pipes.
“He’s the number-one goalie in the league,” said Lunney of Morrison.
Despite their euphoria, the Kings got back to work the following day, in preparation for the Sutherland Cup.
After all, a week after the final in Cambridge, the Cherrey cup now seems a distant memory.
“We’re not done,” said Lunney.