Lorette wins high school hockey’s B division

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This article was published 04/03/2012 (5248 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In just their third season back in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League, the Lorette Scorpions have won the Winnipeg Free Press B-division championship.

Riley Nagy, a Grade 12 forward, scored the winning goal with five minutes left in the third period to lift the Scorpions to a 3-2 victory over the defending champion Shaftesbury Titans on Sunday at the MTS Iceplex. Lorette won the best-of-three series 2-0 after posting a 3-2 shootout win on Saturday.

Nagy, Kevin Holden and team captain Jesse Fraser were members of the team under head coach Laird Laluk when the Scorpions started up again three years ago, after a lengthy absence from the WHSHL.

“This is just unbelievable; it means so much to us. I really thought it would take another two years after I was gone before we’d win the cup. I’m so happy I got to be a part of it,” said Nagy, whose goal was assisted by Travis Victor and Holden. “Everyone on this team made a huge commitment to the program; we’re on the ice at 7 a.m. three days a week for practice and two games a week. Our coaches have had such a good influence on us and our grit — that’s what made the difference for us this year.”

Laluk said his team made the playoffs in its first year and the final four last year.

“These guys were all so committed to doing the little things, staying in shape all year, doing our dryland on the weekends, and it paid off in the end,” said Laluk, who won a Manitoba Junior Hockey League championship with the Winkler Flyers in 1998. “They asked me what it was like when I won a championship, and I just tried to be the voice beside them saying you just have to stay composed. It’s going to be the team that doesn’t stray too far from what they do well and they did that. Amazing kids.”

The championship MVPs were Logan Ferries of Shaftesbury and Lorette’s Fraser.

Also Sunday at the MTS Iceplex, the St. Norbert Celtics won the Coca-Cola C-division title, defeating the Warren Wildcats 3-2 to take the best-of-three series 2-0. St. Norbert beat Warren 4-2 on Saturday. Jordan Jeffs scored the game-winner 3:50 into the third period.

Other goal-scorers for St. Norbert were Jordan Weir and Riley Laurencelle, both in the first period. Warren’s goals came from Dylan Passagio and Thor Sigurdson.

The championship MVPs were Warren goaltender Riley Tabin and Jordan Weir of St. Norbert.

In the Platinum A division, the defending champion St. Paul’s Crusaders staved off elimination and came back in a dominant fashion, beating the Kelvin Clippers 5-1. With that best-of-three series tied 1-1, Game 3 will be played today at 7:20 p.m. in the Winnipeg Free Press rink. The Crusaders are appearing in their 10th straight city final and have won seven of the last nine. It was the first loss this season to St. Paul’s for Kelvin, which beat St. Paul’s 4-3 in overtime in Game 1 on Saturday.

“It’s a great rivalry for us. This is the first time we beat them all year, so it’s a good time to do it,” said Crusaders head coach Andrew Harder, whose team had lost four previous meetings with Kelvin. The Crusaders led 4-0 after the first period. “I’m very proud of our guys; they battled all the way through. We just need more of the same. Kelvin has a couple of dangerous forwards and they’re very fast in the transition game, so we can’t be turning the puck over.”

Kelvin’s lone goal was scored by Beau Zelenewich from Dylan Allary in the third period.

St. Paul’s Brian McDonald fired in the game’s first goal just 13 seconds after the opening faceoff.

“That lucky one to start things turned the momentum in our favour, and we’re going to carry that momentum into Game 3,” said Crusaders forward Mitchell Hansen, who crashed the net to score his team’s second goal and assisted on the fifth goal from Brock Wright. Other St. Paul’s marksmen were Easton Oliver-Hanna and Liam Bilton on the power play.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca