If
someone ever needed proof that hard work pays off they need to look no further
than the Milton Jr. Menace U18AA team.
After
securing a tie for first place in the Tri County regular season standings, the
Milton Jr. Menace had their sights focused on bringing the 2025 U18AA OMHA
Championship back to Milton.
The
Tri County playoffs proved to be a grueling affair for Milton with the Jr.
Menace coming into the OMHA Championships this past weekend knowing they would
need to work extra hard to overcome being shorthanded due to numerous injuries.
Throughout the weekend they proved time and time again they were up for the
challenge!
The
OMHA Championships for the Milton Jr. Menace U18AA began on Friday with a 5-3
victory over Tri County rivals Oakville Ranger Red in what turned out to be a
preview of Sunday’s championship final. On Saturday the Jr. Menace had a
couple of tough games to navigate if they hoped to make it to the playoff
rounds on Sunday. The day started with a hard fought battle against the Upper
York Admirals, which resulted in a 6-4 victory for Milton in a back and forth
affair. In the second game of the day Milton faced the Whitby Wildcats who came
into the game as the #1 ranked team in Ontario. It was a defensive battle as
the teams gave it their all in a game that ended 2-2 with 3 out of the 4 goals
coming via power play goals. This left the Milton Jr Menace with a record of
2-0-1 and in sole possession of first place in Group 2 setting up a semi-final
matchup with the second place finisher in Group 1, the Guelph Gryphons.
The Jr Menace were true to the slogan emblazoned on their practice jerseys “We
play Sundays”.
As
a hockey player your goal is to be playing on Sunday with a chance to take home
a championship and the Milton Jr. Menace U18AA were not going to let this
opportunity slip through their fingers. The first period of the semi-final
featured end to end action with the shot totals 9-8 in favor of Milton and the
period finishing with the score 0-0. The second period had a totally different
script as the Jr. Menace took control of the game, exploding for 4 goals in a
span of 5 minutes to take a commanding 4-0 lead into the 3rd period.
The Gryphons did not go down without a fight scoring 2 goals before Milton
cemented the win with an empty net goal 55 seconds left in the third, leaving
the Oakville Rangers Red as the only team between Milton and the OMHA
Championship they so coveted.
The
Jr Menace knew the final would be a hard fought game as Oakville Rangers Red
has been a formidable opponent through out the season and this game held to
form. Oakville opened the scoring in the first period with Milton equalizing to
end the 1st period tied at 1-1 while the second period belonged to
the Rangers as they scored 2 goals to Milton’s 1 to take a 3-2 heading into the
break. The Jr Menace have made a habit of owning the 3rd period and
the final game was no exception. The Jr Menace delivered a period worthy of a
champion by scoring 3 goals and taking the OMHA U18AA final 5-3 over Oakville
Rangers Red.
The
Milton Jr. Menace U18AA team would like to thank the parents, families and fans
for all the support they have provided over the season. They also want to
invite everyone to the 2025 U18AA OHF Championships being hosted by the Milton
Minor Hockey Association from April 18-20 at MSC Rink D. The Milton Jr. Menace
will be facing the Champions of the GTHL, NOHA, Alliance as well as OMHA
finalist Oakville as they try and win Milton’s second consecutive U18AA OHF
Championship.
The
members of the Milton Jr. Menace U18AA team are:
Ethan
Beaudry, Noah Cacciola, Ryan Aversa, Madden McWhirter, Christian Bejjany, Jake
O’Donnell, Hayden Villaverde, Rowyn McGill, Jaiden Stobermann, Lincoln Quann, Ethan
Horton, Daniel Mazzocco, Ben Allen, Justin Dermit, Elliot Smulders, Joshua
Desrochers, Luca Mule, Cody McPhail (AP).
Bench
staff:
Head
Coach: Trevor Brandt
Assistant
Coach: Barrett Gabriel
Assistant
Coach: Anthony Aversa
Trainer:
Paul O’Donnell
