The Highland Storm U18 rep Tom Prentice and Sons team swept aside the competition at the 2024 OMHA championships in Halton Hills March 29 to 31, earning a provincial gold medal.
It was a tough road for the local team, who competed against some of the best hockey programs in Ontario.
The team faced some adversity in the opening game on Friday, where they found themselves in a hole, down 3-1 to the Wallaceburg Lakers late in the second period. The team fought back valiantly, scoring five unanswered goals to win the game 6-3.
Coach Brandon Hendry said the performance showcased the team’s depth, with all players contributing a point. Goals were tallied by Brechin Johnston, Alex Hendry, Cooper Coles, Ethan Megrah Poppe, and Nathan Morrison.
On Saturday, the Storm faced off against the Belle River Jr. Canadiens. Down by a goal heading into the second, the local team were hot on the powerplay, capitalizing on multiple opportunities, to head into the locker room up 3-2 after the second buzzer.
With just under seven minutes left in the third, Aiden Perrott scored his second of the game, increasing the lead to 4-2. Coles added another late in the period, which completed his hat-trick, before a late goal by Hendry added some gloss to the score line. The Storm came away with a 6-2 win, securing their spot in the semi-finals.
They still had one final round robin game to play on Saturday evening, against the Norwood Hornets. After a close battle in the early goings, the Hornets took control and ran away with a 4-1 win – the Storm’s only blemish of the weekend.
The semi-final saw the Storm lock horns with Port Colborne, which coach Hendry said is a well-respected team that finished first in their group. Port Colborne took an early lead, but the Storm responded well – Beckham Reynolds tying the game before the first buzzer.
The back-and-forth game ended with the Storm securing a 5-4 win, thanks to a fourgoal explosion from Johnston.
The Storm came face-to-face with their rivals from Norwood in the championship game, which coach Hendry said was, “evenly-matched, fast-paced and close to the very end.”
Perrott opened the scoring in the first period, with Johnston following with a shorthanded marker to give the Storm a twogoal lead heading into the second frame. Norwood hit back with a powerplay goal early in the second, cutting the lead to one. The Storm defence dug in, with goaltender Ethan Dobson making several smart saves.
With five minutes left on the clock, Reynolds popped up with the eventual game-winner, securing the gold medal. Norwood fired in a late consolation, bringing the score to 3-2.
“Building team chemistry was one of the main goals for us this season,” said Hendry. “That’s generally something all championship teams have in common – knowing we can trust each other really made the difference, especially in the big games. It was a great season all around, and it feels great being OMHA champions.”
