Best in the West: Trojans win Regionals on home ice

Through two periods, both the Trojans and Kings appeared to be doing that, as they traded multiple goals and leads which resulted in a 5-4 Trojans lead going into the third period.

Darrell Mann, Trojans head coach, told northeastNOW it wasn’t the kind of ‘final show’ he initially expected.

“I know the fans love all these goals, but as a coach I don’t,” Mann said, jokingly. “I like the 3-1 game that we won against them. There was a big crowd and both teams were playing a little nervous and uptight. There were some mistakes and when those mistakes were made, the puck went in the net today.”

The Trojans only allowed four shots on net in the third period and seemed to be on their way to one more shut down clinic in the Western Regionals. However, a bounce went the Kings way and Nicholas DeGrazia passed to Nikolas Campbell who wristed the puck blocker side to tie the game with 10 seconds remaining.

Ten seconds until a championship on home ice: vanished.

The Tisdale Trojans (white) appear stunned after the Thunder Bay Kings (black) tied the Telus Cup Western Regionals championship game with 10 seconds remaining in the third period (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff).

Spectators at the RECplex instantly fell silent. The only noises that could be heard during the three-minute intermission were from the Trojans’ and Kings’ benches.

Mann’s message to his team was to not worry about the tying goal and to enjoy playing in overtime.

“Look at the crowd out here,” he said. “How cool would it be to score an overtime winner in front of all these people in a Western Regional championship?”

Luke Arndt, Trojans captain and shut down defenceman, shared the same view.

“I just told the boys to stay positive, we had everything going for us,” Arndt said. “We had a bad break, but we had to stay focused on what we were working for. One goal is nothing, we’ve got boys that can put the puck in the net.”

After nearly two minutes, 11 shots, some work in the corners by Trenton Curtis, and one shot on net by Kalen Ukrainetz, one of the boys Arndt mentioned stepped up as a hero.

Have yourself a game and @TisdaleTrojans career, @DawsonSchaff pic.twitter.com/VfD3Ftskj1

— Aaron Schulze (@SchulzePANow) April 8, 2019

Dawson Schaff, with the wide-open net, put the rebound home and ended his final home game as a Trojan on the highest note imaginable.

The Trojans hugged, screamed, cried, among other celebratory actions in the moment of a championship victory. While they embraced one another in the nearside corner, Mann looked on from the bench as proud as he could be.

“You almost want to cry because you’re so happy for the players that have worked so hard,” Mann said. “It’s been eight months and they’ve bought into everything we’ve told them. You just want them to get that opportunity. To have it in Tisdale and to score in overtime and watch the fans celebrate is a dream come true.”

The Tisdale Trojans embrace one another moments after Dawson Schaff’s overtime goal won them the Telus Cup Western Regionals. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

For Mann, the championship-clinching overtime goal meant more to him and the coaching staff knowing it came from a player such as Schaff who had worked his way up the line-up.

“Schaff is an amazing player, probably the most underrated player on our hockey team,” he said. “His hockey IQ is through the roof and he just does all the little things right. I know sometimes the fans don’t notice that, but as coaches we notice everything he does. We’re so happy that he’s been rewarded with some goals lately.”

Schaff’s line with Curtis and Ukrainetz lead the Western Regionals in scoring with 21 points (eight goals and 13 assists) in four games. After scoring five goals in the regular season, Schaff credits his personal relationships with Curtis and Ukrainetz for his recent offensive outburst.

“We had good chemistry right from the get-go,” Schaff said. “We just started scoring goals and knew where each other would be. We’re just such good friends off the ice and we finally clicked on the ice.”

Schaff and Arndt will be two of the many players who won’t be back with the Trojans in the 2019-20 season due to aging out or moving on to the next level of hockey, so this final win at home meant that much more to them.

Both called the Trojans’ Western Regionals win the greatest moment of their careers so far, with Arndt noting how surreal it will be to come back to the RECplex down the road and see a banner in the rafters.

Tisdale Trojans captain Luke Arndt couldn’t find the words to describe what hoisting the Telus Cup Western Regionals trophy for the first time meant to him. (Aaron Schulze/northeastNOW Staff)

Mann won a Western Regional championship and an Air Canada Cup as national midget champions in his 18 years as a coach with the Trojans prior to this one, but even he holds this year’s regionals win close to his heart.

“Being a local boy from Tisdale my whole life, to see the crowd and see the excitement all weekend long was absolutely amazing,” Mann said. “This ranks right up there in any hockey highlight I’ve had in my life.”

Sunday marked a fairy-tale ending for the Trojans’ home schedule this season, but they’re not done playing. The Trojans will travel to Thunder Bay, Ont. to play in the Telus Cup national midget championship, featuring four other regional champions and the same Kings team they beat in the Western Regionals championship.

The Telus Cup will run in Thunder Bay from April 22 to 28.

–

aaron.schulze@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @SchulzePANow

by Aaron Schulze

Best in the West: Trojans win Regionals on home ice

What's Trending