News
Riverside Drive in Windsor Ontario was closed Thursday thru Saturday for the 3rd Annual CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! National Championship event, the culmination of the national street hockey series that involved over 80,000 Canadians in the summer of 2008. The competition was intense, as the sixteen top road hockey teams in the country gathered to challenge for the Redwood Cup, and national road hockey supremacy.
Friday round robin games showed the parity between all teams. In one of Friday's most exciting battles, the 4th Seeded and defending national champion Montreal Royal came back from an early 5-0 deficit to tie the 3rd seeded Calgary Phantoms, only to run out of magic late as the Phantoms dug deep to eke out a last minute 7-5 victory. Representative teams from Oshawa, Halifax, Scarborough, Niagara Falls, and Vancouver also all showed impressive and passionate victories during Friday action.
After all Friday games were completed, the Winnipeg Jets were clearly the number one team. Young, fast, and determined, they had made some more seasoned street hockey players look past their primes at times. All-Star goaltender Scott Cameron, who was recently named to Team Canada's indoor ball hockey team that will compete at the next World Championships in June, had proved virtually impossible to beat.
The intensity was evident on Saturday, with the 'lose and you're done' format on top of mind for everyone. Furthermore, teams were forced to battle the elements, as a winter storm including 50km/hr wind gusts blasted over 15 centimetres of wet snow on the tournament.
Semi-Final action saw the Montreal Royal matched up with the Winnipeg Jets in a highly anticipated match up of uber-skilled teams. The Jets held on for a 4-3 victory, but it wasn't without its share of controversy. Royal players accused the Jets of stalling tactics in the final minutes, which nearly led to players coming off the bench. However, the real key moment of the game came as Scott Cameron made an absolutely brilliant blocker save on Benoit Servant with just over twenty seconds to play.
The other semi-final didn't lack controversy either. The Scarborough Lemon Muffins had no time to rest for their matchup with the Oshawa Bulls after their spirited upset of the Calgary Phantoms in the quarter-final. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at one. A shootout was required to decide the game, with Bulls Mike Daciuk going five-hole for the winner during the first sudden death round. Controversy ensued as Lemon Muffins players unsuccessfully protested that Daciuk had shot out of order. Event organizers assumed responsibility for not catching the error until after it was too late.
CBC's Scott Russell and Hockey Day in Canada cameras were on hand throughout the event and as the final game began at 5:00pm on Saturday. Both the Winnipeg Jets and the Oshawa Bulls were undefeated, with 6-0 records going into the game. Hundreds of spectators were on hand, and while the competition went back and forth the Jets took a 3-2 lead into the final minute. With their goaltender pulled, the Oshawa Bulls tied the game with only 11 seconds left.
There was no controversy in this National Championship deciding shootout, though it took six rounds into sudden death to finally resolve. Sean Brown beat Cameron for the winner and the Bulls celebration was electric, as captured live on CBC. After losing in the 2005 National Championship Final to the Calgary Slapnutz, the Bulls finally had the opportunity to heft the Redwood Cup, and to kiss and drink their beverage of choice from it.
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! awarded Bulls' Goalie Andrew 'Chevy' Platt with a set of Custom Made goal pads compliments of Brian's Custom Goal Equipment. All Bulls Players also received composite sticks and gloves compliments of Sande Hockey. Dustin Kelly, of the Winnipeg Jets, also received a composite stick from Sande Hockey as Tournament MVP.
Friday round robin games showed the parity between all teams. In one of Friday's most exciting battles, the 4th Seeded and defending national champion Montreal Royal came back from an early 5-0 deficit to tie the 3rd seeded Calgary Phantoms, only to run out of magic late as the Phantoms dug deep to eke out a last minute 7-5 victory. Representative teams from Oshawa, Halifax, Scarborough, Niagara Falls, and Vancouver also all showed impressive and passionate victories during Friday action.
After all Friday games were completed, the Winnipeg Jets were clearly the number one team. Young, fast, and determined, they had made some more seasoned street hockey players look past their primes at times. All-Star goaltender Scott Cameron, who was recently named to Team Canada's indoor ball hockey team that will compete at the next World Championships in June, had proved virtually impossible to beat.
The intensity was evident on Saturday, with the 'lose and you're done' format on top of mind for everyone. Furthermore, teams were forced to battle the elements, as a winter storm including 50km/hr wind gusts blasted over 15 centimetres of wet snow on the tournament.
Semi-Final action saw the Montreal Royal matched up with the Winnipeg Jets in a highly anticipated match up of uber-skilled teams. The Jets held on for a 4-3 victory, but it wasn't without its share of controversy. Royal players accused the Jets of stalling tactics in the final minutes, which nearly led to players coming off the bench. However, the real key moment of the game came as Scott Cameron made an absolutely brilliant blocker save on Benoit Servant with just over twenty seconds to play.
The other semi-final didn't lack controversy either. The Scarborough Lemon Muffins had no time to rest for their matchup with the Oshawa Bulls after their spirited upset of the Calgary Phantoms in the quarter-final. At the end of regulation, the score was tied at one. A shootout was required to decide the game, with Bulls Mike Daciuk going five-hole for the winner during the first sudden death round. Controversy ensued as Lemon Muffins players unsuccessfully protested that Daciuk had shot out of order. Event organizers assumed responsibility for not catching the error until after it was too late.
CBC's Scott Russell and Hockey Day in Canada cameras were on hand throughout the event and as the final game began at 5:00pm on Saturday. Both the Winnipeg Jets and the Oshawa Bulls were undefeated, with 6-0 records going into the game. Hundreds of spectators were on hand, and while the competition went back and forth the Jets took a 3-2 lead into the final minute. With their goaltender pulled, the Oshawa Bulls tied the game with only 11 seconds left.
There was no controversy in this National Championship deciding shootout, though it took six rounds into sudden death to finally resolve. Sean Brown beat Cameron for the winner and the Bulls celebration was electric, as captured live on CBC. After losing in the 2005 National Championship Final to the Calgary Slapnutz, the Bulls finally had the opportunity to heft the Redwood Cup, and to kiss and drink their beverage of choice from it.
CBC's Hockey Night in Canada Presents Play On! awarded Bulls' Goalie Andrew 'Chevy' Platt with a set of Custom Made goal pads compliments of Brian's Custom Goal Equipment. All Bulls Players also received composite sticks and gloves compliments of Sande Hockey. Dustin Kelly, of the Winnipeg Jets, also received a composite stick from Sande Hockey as Tournament MVP.
