Tide finally turns for Titans

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This article was published 08/03/2011 (5643 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

AT last, something special happened for the Shaftesbury Titans, who had won just three games in the previous two seasons.

Lifted by Chris Stotts’ penalty-shot goal in the first period, Shaftesbury defeated the Garden City Fighting Gophers 4-2 to win the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s Winnipeg Free Press (B) division championship title on Monday at the MTS Iceplex.

In the Platinum Promotions (A) division championship the St. Paul’s Crusaders defeated the Oak Park Raiders 5-0.

St. Paul’s goals came from Brody Fostey, Mark Lapage, Sam Guertin, Adam Warelis and Matt Wilson with goalie Mike Rodgers earning the shut out.

St. Paul’s led 2-0 heading into the third period and then slammed the door with a pair of power-play goals by Guertin and Wilson.

Long-suffering Shaftesbury was ecstatic with the victory.

“It’s spectacular (to win),” said Titans forward Connor Massey who had a pair of goals and was named his team’s player of the game. “We had two real rough seasons the past two years and to get the championship, that’s just great.”

Head coach Eugene Kaminsky said the Titans hung in through the lean years and he was happy to see them rewarded.

“To go from a team that was virtually in last place last year to come and win the division and just step up, the leadership on this team has been incredible,” said Kaminsky, noting the Titans program won the B-division title in 2007. “I think it was maturity, and we are fortunate that we have our Hockey Canada skills academy (an optional program available at the school) and a lot of players are involved in that. They’ve worked on their skating, stick handling and that made us a better team.”

Massey scored Shaftesbury’s first two goals, the first one on a breakaway, to put the Fighting Gophers in a 2-0 hole after just five minutes of play.

“We started well and that was part of the game plan — to just set the tone,” Massey said. “We split the season series (with Garden City). They’re a big strong team, they skate well, they move the puck well. They beat us in the playoffs facing elimination so I have a lot of respect for those guys.”

The penalty shot by Stotts, with 3:50 left to play in the first period, was the game-changer.

“At that point it was 2-0 and if Marc Hildebrand (Garden City), who is a fabulous goalie, if he makes that stop, the momentem switches and it inspires them. But that was the turning point, that penalty shot by Stotts,” Kaminsky said.

“We’ve got two great goaltenders. Jamieson Taylor gave us a shutout to get us here but we’ve rotated our goalies all year. Jordan (Taylor) was just fabulous today.”

Garden City goalie Marc Hildebrand held up under pressure in the third period as the Gophers, facing a 4-1 deficit, fought to get back in the game. With just six seconds left in the game and Hildebrand pulled for the extra attacker, Garden City player-of-the-game Chase Gradt stuffed the puck past Taylor to cut the lead to two, but time ran out.

Gradt, who scored Garden City’s first goal on the power play with a slap shot from near the blue-line, was his team’s player of the game.

“We had a tough day today, we had a guy fall down defensively and gave up a breakaway (Massey’s first goal) and having the penalty shot, that’s a tough scenario,” said Garden City assistant coach Donnie Smith.

“To make it to the final, I tip my hat to them. They came together as a team and worked hard. We fell a little bit short, but they left it all on the ice today.”

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca