(Posted 11:30 a.m., Jan. 2)
East end teams come up empty on first day of Bell Capital Cup finals
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

Members of the Gloucester-Cumberland Stars hold up the Bell Capital Cup Finalist banner after losing 2-1 to the Oakville Hornets in the Peewee AA championship game on Friday. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Bell Capital Cup is one of the premier minor hockey tournaments in Canada, which also makes it one of the most difficult to win. Just making the finals is a huge accomplishment.

The Gloucester-Cumberland Stars Peewee AA girls team and the Gloucester Rangers .Major Peewwe AA boys team were both fortunate to make the finals, which are traditionally held at Scotiabank Place. Unfortunately that's where their quest for a Bell Capital Cup championship ended.

The Stars lost 2-1 to the Oakville Hornets in a game in which all of the scoring came in the second period. Maddie Field scored the Hornets' first goal, banging home a shot from Kristin O'Neill at the side of the net.

With 2:13 left to go in the period, Olivia Atkinson gave the Hornets a two goal lead scoring a power play goal from the side of the net on a pass from O'Neill who won possession of the puck in the corner.

Josiane Pozzebon got one goal back for the Stars with a little over a minute left in the period on a great individual effort in which she scored on her own rebound off a breakaway.

Down 2-1, the Stars tried their best to tie the score, outshooting the Hornets 6-3 in the third period, but it was not to be as the Oakville team skated off with the win.

Although Stars goalie Kira Bombay was not named anong the game's three stars, she was easily her team's most valuable player. If not for her solid play in net the score could have easily been three or four to one. Vanessa Saucier was named the Stars' Hardest Worker of the Game.

In the second game on New Year's Day involving an east end team, the Gloucester Rangers were in tough against the Mid Fairfield Blues from Connecticut in the Major Peewee AAA final.

The Gloucester Rangers pose for a team picture with the finalist trophy after losing 2-0 to the Mid Fairfield Blues in the Major Peewee AAA final of the Bell Capital Cup on Friday. Fred Sherwin/Photo

The Blues had only allowed two goals in five tournament games including a 1-1 tie against the Rangers in the final round robin game for both teams.

Gloucester was also coming off a hard-fought 5-4 early morning win over Victory Honda in which they were trailing by a goal with 3:42 left in the game.

The Blues won their semi-final in relative ease, downing the Kanata Blazers 3-0.

In Friday's championship game, the Rangers had a hard time just getting a shot on net. After getting just one shot on net in the first period they didn't get their second shot until seven minutes into the second stanza.

The Blues, meanwhile, made the most of their opportunities. They scored on the only power play for either team in the first period and then Anthony Vincent scored a backbreaker when he got behind the Rangers defence in the final minute of the second period and fired a shot that beat the Gloucester goalie through the legs.

Down 2-0, the Rangers were their own worst enemy in the third period taking several ill-timed penalties that blew any chance of a come back. Misha Ventura was named the Rangers' Hardest Worker of the Game, while the Blues dominated the stars of the game.

With two days left in the Bell Capital Cup, several east end teams are still in the hunt for hardware including the Cumberland Jr. Grads who have made the Major Atom AA final after shutting out Les Ambassadeurs de Gatineau 3-0 in the semi-finals. The Jr. Grads will be facing the Ottawa Valley Silver Seven White team which beat the Marham Islanders 3-0 in their semifinal

In the other final involving an east end team, the Gloucester Rangers Green squad is facing the Ottawa Sting in the Minor Atom AA final.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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