Reds off to OFSAA
W
inning never gets old for the Denis Morris Reds.
The Reds are perennial contenders to qualify for OFSAA and did so once again Tuesday with a pair of victories at the Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association (SOSSA) AAA boys hockey championship at the Seymour-Hannah Sports Complex.
The Reds now head to the Ontario Federation of Schools Athletic Associations AAA championships in Windsor the week following March break.
Head coach Billy McLaren wasn’t even sure how many times the Reds have captured SOSSA.
“Maybe five or six times, I’d have to look at the trophy,” McLaren said, after posing with the Reds for the traditional championship photo.
McLaren said the difference in this title versus some of the others is he wasn’t sure exactly what he had this season.
“I was talking to the refs and I organize SOSSA and they said you said you didn’t think you would be here (SOSSA) back in October,” McLaren said. “I just thought with the guys we lost from last year we would have a balanced team, but not as strong of a team. We’re balanced all the way through and strong all the way through.”
McLaren said there was so secret to the Reds’ success.
“The guys bought in. We’re a deep team and they put in the effort they needed and we got it done.”
The Reds topped the A.N. Myer Marauders in the semifinal before edging the Bulldogs in a well-played, entertaining final.
“I talked to the guys this morning and told them we needed two wins to go to OFSAA,” McLaren said. “The hardest part is getting to OFSAA. Once you’re there, a couple of bounces and you’re playing for a medal.
“All the guys did what they needed to do.”
The Reds got goals from Brayden Thompson, Connor Burke and John Luc Pagnotta while Ian Dunn provided DM with solid netminding.
“He’s been our go-to guy,” McLaren said of Dunn.
Dunn, a 16-year-old, Grade 11 student, gave up AAA hockey this season.
“I wasn’t really enjoying playing AAA,” he said. “The last couple of years it affected my mental health so I decided to stop that and pursue soccer and play high school hockey.”
Dunn is glad he made the choice to play for the Reds.
“It’s really fun,” said Dunn, who is is a centre-back for Empire Niagara. “It’s awesome. Two years ago, I played and we lost in SOSSA but this was amazing.”
Former DM forward Parker Hendsbee scored the lone Sir Winston goal.
“I’m super proud of the guys,” Bulldogs coach Dave Kamatovic said. “They battled hard and gave us everything they had. A couple of bounces DM’s way and a couple of fluky goals. If some puck luck went our way, I think it would have been different.”
The Reds advanced to the finals with an 8-2 win over the A.N. Myer Marauders.
Blake Burke had two goals for DM while Connor Burke, Quinn McIntosh Nathan Duplessis, Logan James, Brayden Thompson and Hayden Dionne.
Kyle Fortuna replied for the Marauders.
The Bulldogs defeated Waterdown 5-2 in their semifinal to advance.
Keaton Zavitz and Hunter Zoccoli had two goals each while Mitchell Armstrong also scored for the Bulldogs.