ST. CLEMENTS - The Frayne Custom Cabinets Bantams travelled to Mennonite country over the weekend to participate in their Additional-Entry Regional Silver Stick tournament and came away with the hardware!
Greg Smale’s team skated to six consecutive wins, including two in overtime. Interestingly, the Rock chalked up three shutout wins and allow only four goals.
Games were held in St. Clements and Wellesley.
St. Marys 3 - Twin Centre 0
Game one Thursday evening against the Twin Centre Stars saw Andy O’Connell between the pipes as his netminding partner Tyler Carruthers was on crutches after suffering a knee injury in a league game the previous night.
Towering defenceman Ryan Shaw notched a goal to start the second period when his long-range wrister tumbled up and over the goalie. Using Kevin Armstrong as a decoy on a 2-on-1 rush, Trevor Gras found the ‘five-hole’ to go up 2-0.
The goal of the game came in the third with Travis Mann digging in the corner and squirting the puck out to Connor Topp at the face-off dot. The quick, Crosby-like one-timer from the knee made it 3-0 and the Rock held on.  
St. Marys 4 - Erin-Hillsburgh 1
Friday evening’s game saw the return of team captain Nolan Pearson as the Rock took on the Devils. Pearson didn’t take long to set up his favorite target, and right winger Armstrong found lots of net low on the blocker side.
Early in the second period, Erin appeared to score the tying goal, but it was disallowed due to an early whistle. Controversy of the loud variety ensued, but the guy with the orange stripes on the arms won as usual.
A sniper shot from a sharp angle over the goalie’s shoulder from Mann helped the Rock regain control of the tempo. Two shifts later, Mann was in his favourite neighborhood (the blue paint) and deflected home a Will Thomson point shot.
Erin’s goaltender was now rattled and playing much more tentatively, something Topp took advantage of when Armstrong set him up in the slot: another goal under the pads.
The third period saw a malaise fall over Smale’s crew and a couple of defensive errors led to a shorthanded goal by Erin to sully the otherwise solid game. Coach was not very happy, but the boys pulled it together for the final eight minutes and closed out the 4-1 victory.
St. Marys 3 - Lambeth 1
Though a meaningless game to determine first and second within the pool, the Rock wanted to send a message to Lambeth Lancers, the only team that has bested them in Shamrock League play so far this season.
With AP goalie Tyler Kittmer backing him up, O’Connell defended his mesh well with a slick-sliding pad save early in the first period. At the end of the period, Brandon Edgar’s shot straight from the face-off surprised the goalie and it was 1-0.
Late in the second period, Lancers jabbed in a tying goal . . . not pretty but they took it. Both tempo and tempers were up in the period and the crowd knew the third was going to be sizzling hot.
Rushing ‘D’ Ryan Fennema carried the puck up to the Lancer blue line and passed to an open Armstrong whose quick snap shot fooled the Lambeth goalie. A pressing Rock team would later go up 3-1 on a blast through traffic from the blue line by Greg Swan, a winger strategically placed on defence for the shift.
The Rock avenged the earlier SHL defeat and sat on top of their pool.
St. Marys 1 - Strathroy 0 (OT)
The quarter-final round saw the Frayne Bantams take on Strathroy Jr. Rockets in what would be a very evenly-matched tilt.
There were lots of checking and skating, but relatively few shots for the first two periods as they jostled in the neutral zone. The second game in just a few hours was tough sledding for the Rock, who were missing a burly winger (James Armstrong), a goalie (Carruthers), and half a centre (Pearson) due to injuries.
Forwards Trevor Gras and Tyler Clark had to shoulder more load than usual and proved worthy to the task. With three minutes left in the third period, O’Connell was again called upon for a huge save to preserve the tie and send the contest to overtime!
With only two minutes remaining in OT, Kevin Armstrong and Pearson stormed the net and Armstrong tipped the puck between the goaltender’s pads for the winner.
Coach Smale wasn’t overly happy with the team play, but was pleased with the victory.
St. Marys 3 - Dorchester 2 (OT)
In the semi-finals, the Rock found a much-improved Dorchester Dragons team from what was experienced in league play early this season.  
Armstrong’s hard digging behind the Dragon net resulted in pass to Topp waiting patiently in the slot and it was 1-0 Rock.
Third period saw a ‘take two’ as Armstrong again took possession behind the Dorchester goal line and fed Topp in the high slot.
Trailing 2-0 but not about to lay down, Dragons came out breathing fire. A lost battle on the side boards led to a goal and then pressure in the Rock crease facilitated the tying goal with just minutes to go.
This was going to test the Rock’s mettle. In OT, it was Brandon Edgar’s turn to be hero as he picked up a defensive miscue bounce at the hash marks and stepped in to go upstairs on the undefended Dragon keeper.  
St. Marys 6 - Lambton Shores 0
Coach Smale’s motley crew approached the final with some trepidation as it was their first tourney final as a team. Their concerns were not well founded as it turned out that they were every bit as good as the Predators . . . and then some.
Confident in Andy O’Connell’s strong play all weekend, the Rock focused on the task at hand: scoring. Pearson won a draw to right winger Swan, who rattled off a low screened shot from the boards. This would stand as the only goal of an otherwise balanced first period.
 Early in the second period, Edgar flew in alone and went high to the blocker side of the big Predator goalie for a 2-0 lead. A few shifts later, Travis Mann’s hard work at the net got the puck to Edgar again and he fired his second of the contest.
At the close of the second, Pearson and Swan teamed up for a controversial goal, but it stood and St. Marys was in charge, 4-0.
Predators sent out their second goalie for the third period, but it would not impact the outcome. O’Connell made a beauty left toe save on a screen shot to sully any wild thoughts the Preds may have had about a comeback.
At the other end, AP player Matt Chambers set up Topp in the slot and he welcomed the new goalie with a zinger over the shoulder and a 5-0 lead.
Topp then picked up a second goal as he slid through the crease on his knees and patiently pulled back and stretched around the goalie’s leg pad to close out the scoring.
Despite high emotions, Predators congratulated the Frayne team on their win as the Twin Centre Silver Stick banner was awarded. Next stop: Pelham in January for the International Silver Stick event.