ATOM AA Hawks finish stellar season with OMHA title

March 28, 2019 · 0 Comments

Written By JAKE COURTEPATTE

Add one more to the packed trophy case of the Atom AA Caledon Hawks.

Caledon Minor Hockey’s lone representatives in the Ontario Minor Hockey Association (OMHA)’s championship series wrapped up their season by picking up the province’s most prestigious award on home ice on Saturday, finishing off the Clarington Toros at Caledon East Arena.

And what a season it has been for the Hawks: three tournament championships, a first place finish in the Tri-County area, and a third place ranking across all of Ontario.

“These kids worked so hard all year, never gave up,” said head coach Steven DaSilva, who added the team did not waver when injuries had the roster down to nine for a good portion of the season.

Of those approximately sixteen injury-prone games, the pervasive Hawks failed to register a loss: in fact, they only found themselves on the wrong side of the scoreboard twice in the regular season, registering a whopping 22-2-4 record among Tri-County play.

“Their work ethic is unbelievable,” continued DaSilva. “Enjoyed every moment at the rink, and always came to the rink with a smile.”

Evidently, the chemistry was there from the start for the Hawks squad, who kicked off the season in September with a win at the St. Catherines Early Bird tournament. From there, it was a ten-game winning streak to start the Tri-County season, something they rode into tournament win number-two, the Kitchener Oktoberfest tournament in late October.

The team’s first loss of the season did not come until the first day of November, though they rebounded with their third tournament win in the Paul Coffey Invitational in Mississauga in early December.

Going five wins and one loss in the OMHA’s round robin play, the Hawks drew the Flamborough Sabres in the quarterfinal round, pitting the winners of the Tri-County North and South divisions against one another.

The Hawks faced adversity for what was seemingly the first time all season, going the distance in a six-game series after two wins each and a tie. Caledon proved their dominance with a 4 – 0 shutout by goalkeeper Anthony Lovisa in the deciding game.

From there it was clear sailing for the eventual OMHA champs.