Sweet revenge for Raiders

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This article was published 17/03/2011 (5632 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was the sweetest revenge and the biggest prize for the Oak Park Raiders high school boys’ hockey team.

Thanks to by Tyler Morwick’s game-winning power-play goal with 3:25 left to play, the Raiders defeated the St. Paul’s Crusaders 4-2 to win the 2011 Milk AAAA Provincial High School Hockey Championship at the MTS Iceplex on Wednesday before a crowd of about 1,200 in the Winnipeg Free Press Arena.

The Crusaders had shut out the Raiders 5-0 in the Winnipeg High School Hockey League’s city final last week, but the provincial crown belonged to Oak Park.

“It feels so great. They beat us three times so it feels good to get them back once,” said Grade 11 forward Cory Yeroschak, who scored his team’s second goal, giving the Raiders a brief 2-1 lead early in the third period.

“We didn’t win the city’s but this is the next best thing. We proved something today, especially to ourselves.”

Raiders head coach Joel Nedecky, whose team last won a provincial title in 2008-09, said he couldn’t explain why his team came up empty in the city championship, but said it was OK to let that go now.

“It feels great. I’m very proud of them, they stepped up, we didn’t quit at all,” Nedecky said.

“We said all along we wanted to get them in a close game and we would definitely win. When it was a close game, we knew that we had them.”

St. Paul’s opened the scoring about three minutes into the game when Mark Lapage converted Connor Staub’s pass.

Oak Park seemed energized rather than deflated by the early marker.

Raiders defencemen Tyler Bell and Tyler Smith — and forwards Yeroschak and Garrett Urick — blocked at least eight shots over the first two frames as St. Paul’s high-powered offence cranked up the pressure.

The teams took a 1-1 deadlock into the third period after Morwick notched the equalizer on a nifty backhand from in close.

Looming huge for the Crusaders was an apparent goal late in the second frame by Brody Fostey that was called off right away when officials ruled it was batted in with a high stick.

Oak Park took control early in the final frame with Yeroschak finding the back of the net three minutes in.

After the Crusaders killed off a penalty midway through the third, St. Paul’s Lapage notched his second of the night, scooping up a loose puck in front of the net for a 2-2 tie.

Oak Park’s Nic Demski, the Winnipeg High School Football League’s leading rusher, was his hockey team’s leading rusher, going into the corners and absorbing a few hits to set up scoring chances. After the game-winner, Raiders’ forward Colton Plante sealed the win with an empty-netter with 1:15 left.

“It was just dedication on our part, we just had to work hard and get that puck in there,” Yeroschak said.

Oak Park goalie Kyler Sobiak was named tournament MVP.

Nedecky said the key for his team was disciplined play down the stretch.

“I thought the first period, they really took it to us in the first 10 minutes there, but we settled down after that,” Nedecky said.

“Second and third, we were right with them and it was a battle all the way.”

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca