When
the Highland Storm Midget boys’ team came up just shy of winning the
OMHA Midget CC provincial final against the Twin Centre Stars this past
Sunday at the A.J. LaRue Arena in Haliburton, they were reminded of
their efforts by loved ones who joined them on the ice following the
medal ceremony to congratulate them and to mark the occasion with
photos.

 

It wasn’t that there wasn’t
disappointment among the team for the 2-1 loss, but there was
recognition of their efforts and ability to execute when they needed to
in order to be among the few hockey teams left to play in the province
this spring.

 

After the game, coach James
Reilly praised his team for winning the LJ “Larry” Belisle Trophy for
finishing as a runner-up to the Stars, who won the series 3-1-2.

“I
told them that they battled to the very end game, six and only came up
one goal short and that they should be proud of themselves for the
effort and commitment they demonstrated throughout this season and that
facing this adversity will only make them stronger and better prepared
for the future,” he wrote in an email.

Reilly said the difference in the final came down to discipline. 

“It is hard to win a championship game while sitting in the penalty box and not playing at full strength,” he said. 

 

In
the third period when down 2-1, the Storm were short-handed for much of
it, including close to five accumulative minutes of being down a pair
of players (five on three advantage for Stars) with a little more than
six minutes left in the game. Although the Storm didn’t allow a goal,
the team was hard-pressed to find the equalizer. 

In the end, the playoff series was decided by just four goals (12 goals allowed by the Storm and eight for the Stars).

 

What
stood out in the final for Reilly was “what it took to develop a team
to carry this far and what it takes to win. If one thing is not right or
complete in your game and the opposing team is doing everything right
it usually ends up successful for the opponent,” he said. 

Captain Shawn Walker was visibly disappointed and initially didn’t want to say more than just, “We gave it our all.”

 

However
after a few minutes of photos with loved ones and teammates, Walker
shared his thoughts on the season, his teammates and the final series.

He admits the team had its challenges in the regular season, particularly at the start, but finished strong. 

 

“Once
playoffs got closer we started to get deeper, more focused and more
serious. Still had fun, obviously. Once playoffs came we were down two
in the first round, dug deep and came back. Went on a high note from
there. Third round right to the finals. Good start [in the final playoff
series winning two]. Give credit to Twin Centre for not quitting.
Sometimes it doesn’t go your way. We played amazing. I’m not saying we
didn’t play good, but I think we played amazing. Puck didn’t go our way
and [the trophy] ended up in their hands. Team did [play] strong. I’m
proud of them all. It’s my last year. Always love them. They’re brothers
to me. They’re like family,” he said. 

 

Walker finished the interview by acknowledging the support from the fans.

“The
fans this year from Haliburton were great, showing up to a playoff game
with a full barn. We want to thank everybody and say thank you for
that. Supporting us right to the finals straight to game six,” he said.