Picton Pirates are Schmalz Cup champions with 3-2 win in Game 5

By OHA news
There was no shortage of dramatics last night at the Prince Edward Community Centre when the home town Pirates won two games in one evening.

After a decision made by an OHA committee to replay 19:47 of the third period of game one due to an illegal player participating from the Pirates, the visiting Essex 73s rolled into town with hopes of extending their series back to their home rink.

In the third period of the first game the 73s seemed to be the better team, netting a big goal four minutes after the opening faceoff. Chad Hedrick managed to slide the disk through Pirates goaltender Andrew Pearson to tie the game at 2-2. It took the Pirates just six minutes for their talented sniper Cole Bolton to wire a shot through the 73s goalie Trevor Wheaton, regaining the lead for the home team. 73s forward Aaron Thibert netted what turned out to be the tying goal at 13:05 in the final frame to put the game into overtime.

With the clock winding down there was a sense in the building amongst the fans that this game could go on forever.

A little less than six minutes was all it took for Pirates forward Eric Hayes to become a town hero when he took a pass from teammate Mitchell Smith and scored the game winning goal. The score of the long anticipated game one ended 4-3 in overtime.

Fans headed to the concession stand while the players took to their respective dressing rooms as Game 5 would start momentarily.

The first period of game five got under way without delay. Both teams came out with a new sense of importance. For the 73s this was a do-or-die situation and they certainly showed in the first period that they wanted a win. Jordan Ryan scored the opening goal for his 73s with assists going to Marco Canzoneri and Matthew Hebert. The 1-0 Essex lead proved to be the final of the first period.

Scott Bromley netted the second goal of the evening for the 73s when he beat Pearson with a sneaky goal which made its way into the net through a pile of bodies. The 2-0 lead seemed to quickly deteriorate as the 73s ran into penalty trouble. A power play goal by Pirates Captain Brandon Peever cut the lead in half for the visiting squad. With the second period winding down the entire building was buzzing with the thought of seeing the Schmalz Cup presented for the first time to the Pirates in there 23 years in the OHA.

With just a little under eight minutes left in the third period Mitchell Smith would score the equalizer for the Pirates and thus lit up the spirits of the home town crowd of 723 screaming Picton fans who had never seen an OHA Championship in their community. The comeback was completed when Pirates forward Levi George scored the game winner with just a little under six minutes left in the series. George’s name will no doubt go down in history for the town and community of Picton as the player who won the Pirates the Schmalz Cup.

As time on the clock hit zero the entire community it seemed, stormed onto the ice in excitement. Many fans were seen with tears in their eyes for their beloved Pirates.

OHA Chief Executive Officer Scott Farley presented the coveted Schmalz Cup Trophy to the teams Captain Peever and the Assistant Captains Brad Jacklin, Jack Davidson and Evan Greer.

On behalf of the OHA we wish to congratulate the Essex 73s on a fantastic season and a hard fought and well played finals.
Congratulations to the players, staff, volunteers and community of Picton for winning the historic Schmalz Cup for the first time in 23 years. You’re hard work and dedication this season proved to be excellent and certainly paid off. The 2013 Schmalz Cup Champions are the Picton Pirates of the Empire B Junior C Hockey League. http://www.oha.pointstreaksites.com

-Rachel Hardon photos

MAY 1 UPDATE: Picton Pirates Schmalz Cup champions with 3-2 win in Game 5.

Picton Pirates win “Game 1” in overtime, score of 4-3.

UPDATE: The final 19:47 of Game 1 will be concluded with the Pirates leading the game 2-1 on Wednesday May 1st @730pm Game 5 will start immediately following the conclusion of Game 1 at Prince Edward Community Centre!

UPDATE: Pirates win two in Essex on the weekend – 6-3 Sunday and 3-1 Saturday.

The Ontario Hockey Association has upheld a protest filed by the Essex 73s and Game 1 with the Picton Pirates will be replayed from 19:47 in the third.

Game 1 of the OHA Junior C Championship series for the Schmalz Cup was held in Picton Saturday, April 20th, with the final score 4-1 for Picton. The protest was filed by Essex the following day.

The protest centered on Picton player #19 Evan Greer. Greer received three separate minor penalties for stick infractions during the second period of the game. Under Hockey Canada rules, a player that receives three stick infraction penalties during the same game is issued an automatic game ejection penalty. Greer was not ejected from the game and counted one goal and three assists, including a goal and assist in the third period, following the serving of his third stick infraction penalty.

As a result of the protest being upheld, the OHA has issued the following orders to deal with the disposition of the game in question. These orders are as follows:

The original Game #1 final result (4-1 for Picton) from the game on April 20th, 2013 will be removed, effective immediately.
The series therefore will currently stand at 1 game to 0 in favour of Essex, by virtue of their Game #2 victory.
Game #1 will be restarted with 19:47 remaining in the 3rd period and the score 2-1 in favour of Picton. This is the point where the player in question would have been officially removed from the game.
All conditions that are relevant at the time of the restart (rosters, penalties, etc.) shall be in effect. All of these conditions and the overall game environment will be verified by the OHA Operations staff and will be reviewed with both teams on Monday April 29th.
The restarted Game #1 of the series shall take place in Picton on Wednesday May 1st . The games scheduled (Games 3 & 4) in Essex on April 27 and 28 shall proceed as scheduled.

The OHA will determine whether the restarted game will take place prior to, or after, the regularly scheduled Game #5 on May 1st in Picton. This determination will be confirmed with the teams on April 29th.

“The Protest Committee had a number of options to evaluate when considering this protest,” commented OHA CEO Scott Farley. “At the end of their assessment, there is no question that the playing rules were not followed and that it had an impact on the outcome of this important game.

“The proper game ejection call was missed by all key people involved and the OHA accepts responsibility for the application of the rules of the game in this OHA Championship. As such, the committee ruled that it is in the best interest of the game, the series and the players that the game be decided by the players on the ice, playing within the proper rules and procedures. The process outlined by the committee in their ruling does that in the most logical fashion available.”

The decision of the committee is final and there is no further avenue of appeal in this game protest situation.

The Ontario Hockey Association is an organization of volunteers that fosters, promotes and administers the sport of amateur ice hockey. The OHA is committed to a leadership role in providing an environment that allows everyone to enjoy the game at their level of interest and ability. The Association encourages the values of fair play, fun, and respect for all participants.

Further information on the OHA, or the Schmalz Cup Championship, go to www.ohahockey.org