NEWS RELEASE
SAULT COLLEGE
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Sault College hockey teams finalists in University of Toronto tournament
Over the weekend the Sault College men’s and women’s Hockey teams travelled to Toronto to participate in the University of Toronto’s hockey tournament.
This was the college’s first appearance in the highly contested tournament which saw 12 men’s and 6 women’s teams compete from universities and colleges across Ontario.
Both teams finished in second place overall and were able to make a name for hockey at Sault College and in Sault Ste. Marie.
Despite the early morning start, the lady Cougars came out of the gates flying and were able to cruise to a 2-0 win over Boreal College.
Amanda Trudeau and Hailey Summers were the goal scorers for Sault College and goalie Emily Potvin was able to obtain her first shutout of the day.
During their last game of round robin play the Cougars were led by Captain Mallory Lesage as she connected for two goals in the contest which lead to a crucial victory over Seneca College leading up to the semi-finals.
Goalie Emily Potvin stood tall in net to capture her second shutout of the day.
As the ladies clinched first place in their division, they were scheduled to play the second place tournament hosts-the University of Toronto Scarborough.
With their defensive discipline and offensive strength the ladies proved that they were not a team that was going to be taken lightly.
Jaime Sacco, a first-year player, connected for the first goal of the game and later sealed the Cougar’s fate as she found the back of the net for her second goal of the game, securing their spot in the finals with a 2-1 win over the host team.
The final match-up saw the Cougars go up against the #1 ranked Humber College.
The game was scoreless through one period as Humber found the net in the second period setting up a battle for the title in the third period.
The Cougars fought hard in the third but were outplayed by the more experienced Humber Hawks as Humber took the title as tournament champions with a 3-0 victory over Sault College.
The men opened the tournament with a contest against McMaster University, a team that was fresh off of winning the Brockville tournament in January.
Hoping to prove that they belonged in this tournament, the Sault College men came out flying as veteran Thomas Stewart scored within the first minute of the game off of a pass from Greig Dear for the Cougars.
McMaster never let up but the Cougar men did not back down winning the contest 5-3.
The Cougar men went on to play tough against Georgian-Orillia as it was a scoreless game going into the third period.
Thomas Stewart was able to beat their goalie and put Sault College on the board up 1-0.
The Cougars again got the scoring started first only to see Georgian-Orillia respond with a quick one to tie up the game at one all.
With just a few minutes left in the third period Veteran Louis Fuchs was able to do what he does best and score at a critical time of the game.
Thomas Stewart sent the other team to the locker room with an empty net goal to seal the fate of the Cougars who were now 2-0 for the day.
The final game of the pool play had the Cougars facing off against the #7 seeded Sheridan Bruins.
The Bruins got up on the board quickly only to see Louis Fuchs score another clutch goal to tie up the game at one a piece.
However, the Bruins responded with a quick goal and never looked back putting the Cougars at 2-1 for the day.
The Cougars finished third overall in pool play amongst twelve teams and would now be facing the #2 Trent University.
The Cougar men came out with a vengeance against Trent University trying to redeem that game that got away on them against Sheridan.
Goaltender Josh Michano was outstanding and kept the game alive for the Cougar men as Trent set the tempo of the game.
The game was scoreless heading into the third period leaving both teams one period to make it count with the only option of winning and moving on or packing it up for the day.
At the buzzer it was still a scoreless game leading to a shoot out to decide who would move on to the finals against the Seneca Sting.
Louis Fuchs stepped up and was the first shooter for Sault College and buried it deep in the net as Josh Michano stopped the Trent player on the other end of the ice.
Brayden McLean was the second shooter for Sault College, and he too buried the puck deep in the net.
Cougars Goalie Josh Michano was unstoppable in his second save of the shootout sending the Cougars to the finals in their first tournament appearance.
The Cougars would go into the finals down one key defenseman as Joey Plastino was sidelined by a knee injury.
Entering into their fifth game of the day the Cougar men had a tough time finding their legs as Seneca College skated to a 6-0 victory over the Cougars.
The Ontario Colleges Committee on Campus Recreation (OCCCR) is recognized as the governing body for campus recreation activities within Ontario’s colleges and is the highest level of college hockey in Ontario.
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