Major Bantams win the Brian Steele Memorial

It would take more than a long drive and a late game to hinder the focused Kings who showed up ready to play against the Toronto Royals. Theo Todd opened the scoring with an assist from Cam McLean.  With a little over a minute left in the first period Shawn Patterson, Tyler Manderson and Tate Leeson practiced a little tic-tac-toe to put the Kings ahead 2-0.  As the boys continued to control the game throughout the second period, McLean scored a beautiful one timer on a pass from Randy Keller.  Nick Nadeau would earn his first shutout of the season with a 3-0 final. Well rested and excited to get back on the ice, the Kings faced off against the Toronto Aeros in their second game. Penalties would keep netminder Hudson Kelly busy until Leeson opened the scoring with assists going to Patterson and McLean.  Hard hitters Ethan Percy, Tanner Barnett, Jacob Shankar and Brett Lannin played a key role in helping the Kings battle their way out of penalty trouble.  Keller capitalized on the hard work of Barnett and Nolan Cordick to score the second goal.  Leeson’s new gloves seemed to be on fire as he scored the next three goals with assists going to Patterson, Percy, Todd and Manderson.  A 5-0 final would mark the first shutout as a King for Kelly and result in him being presented the game puck by his teammates.  Energized by the two previous wins the Kings came out strong against the Willowdale Blackhawks.  Persistent offensive attacks by Evan Durant, Drew Cotnam and Brad Nash led up to Manderson’s first goal assisted by Patterson and Leeson.  The Blackhawks tied the score at 1-1 until Patterson scored what would be the go ahead goal for the Kings followed by one for Cordick with the assists going to Keller and Nash.  The Kings fought through exhaustion for their third game that day to face off against the well rested Toronto Blues.  Keller opened the scoring in the second period with an assist from Cotnam.  Before the period would end, the Blues would tie the score 1-1.  The third period would belong to Percy who fired consecutive cannons from the point for his first and second goal as a King.  He was later presented the game puck by his teammates.  By the end of the day the Kings were sitting comfortably in second place overall and were headed to the semi-finals.  
 

The semi-final game against the Newmarket Redmen proved to be a much tougher match-up for the Kings.  Michael Urbans strong offensive play frustrated Newmarket and landed them in some penalty trouble.  Then with only 0:01 seconds left in the second period Manderson scored the all important game winning goal against a hot Newmarket goalie. Assists went to Leeson and Patterson.  The game shifted to defensive mode and with the solid defensive team of Percy, Lannin, McLean, Shankar and Barnett, Nadeau earned his second shutout of the tournament.  

The Kings final opponent, the Ajax Knights, were the top-seated team in the tournament. Keller fed the puck to Cordick who battled up the boards, cut to the centre at the blue line and somehow managed to get through three defenders plus the goalie to put the first goal on the scoreboard.  The Knights tied up the score in the third period and just when it was looking like OT Todd came up with a fancy move from behind the net and banked the puck off the goalie’s skate for what would become the game winner for the Kings.

The Major Bantam AA Kings look forward to building on this success when the regular season starts in the next couple of weeks.