Grizzlies Hockey nab Silver at OCCCR Challenge Cup
Playing host to the Men’s Hockey OCCCR Challenge Cup, the Georgian Grizzlies played an impressive two days of hockey in earning a second-place finish.
Hosting the 8th annual Ontario Colleges Committee on Campus Recreation (OCCCR) Men's Hockey Challenge Cup came with a silver lining as the Georgian-Barrie Grizzlies played an impressive two days of hockey in earning a second-place finish.
The Challenge Cup features the top 12 extramural teams from the 30-team Campus Challenge Series tournament circuit in a two day year-end tournament for provincial bragging rights. After splitting a pair of games on the tournament's opening day Monday at East Bayfield Arena in Barrie, Georgian-Barrie went a perfect 3-0 in Tuesday's elimination round to qualify for the Championship Final. Wins over Fanshawe (4-2), George Brown (2-1) and the defending champion Trent Excalibur (4-1) sent the Grizzlies into the Final against the top ranked St. Lawrence Cornwall Sharks.
Cornwall had the advantage of playing only two games on Day 2 going into the Final, and took advantage of fresher legs, scoring a power play goal in the second period and an empty-netter for a hard-fought 2-0 win over a tired Georgian-Barrie squad. The Sharks became the first two-time champion in the tournament's eight year history, previously winning in 2011.
Georgian-Barrie has appeared in all eight Challenge Cup tournaments, reaching the semi-finals in three of the last five tournaments. The Grizzlies were led by captain Byron Katapaytuk, who scored six goals in the tournament, and goalie Connor Potter, who had a 1.20 GAA in five starts. In the end though, it was a total team effort that earned Georgian-Barrie its first ever appearance in a Challenge Cup final and a well-deserved silver medal.
OCCCR Challenge Cup Men's Hockey Results
Championship Final: St. Lawrence Cornwall 2 – Georgian Barrie 0
Goals: Matt Gregoire (SLC), Brian Landry (SLC)
Semi-Final: Georgian Barrie 4 – Trent 1
Goals: Byron Katapaytuk (2) (GEO), Connor Dorey (2) (GEO), Ian Cummings (TRE)
Semi-Final: St. Lawrence Cornwall 1 – Fleming 0
Goals: Larson Payette (SLC)
Quarter-Finals:
Fleming 3 Humber North 2 (SO)
SLC 2 Conestoga 1 (SO)
Geo Barrie 2 George Brown 1
Trent 4 Centennial 0
Wild Card Qualifiers:
Humber North 3 St. Lawrence Brockville 0
Conestoga 3 Redeemer 2 (SO)
Trent 5 Humber Lakeshore 1
Geo Barrie 4 Fanshawe 2
Round Robin Results
Pool A
Trent 6 Fanshawe 2
SLC 5 Fanshawe 0
SLC 2 Trent 1
Pool B
George Brown 1 Conestoga 0
Humber North 4 Conestoga 1
George Brown 2 Humber North 1 (SO)
Pool C
Centennial 1 SLB 0
Redeemer 4 SLB 3
Centennial 4 Redeemer 0
Pool D
Fleming 3 Humber Lakeshore 2
Geo Barrie 4 Humber Lakeshore 1
Fleming 4 Geo Barrie 3
For images from the action visit - https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1000774973342522.1073741887.164873276932700&type=3&uploaded=12