The Lambton Jr. Sting minor atoms have created quite a buzz this fall.
The AAA squad, a collection of 2007-born players from Sarnia and Lambton County competing at this level together for the first time, has taken the Alliance Pavilion hockey league by storm. Lambton currently owns first place with a 14-4-3 record – three points clear of the second-place London Jr. Knights – and an impressive overall mark of 20-7-5 including a tournament championship.
Head coach Kevin Fines explained the group's early success.
“I think the team's doing well because a lot of the boys knew each other before coming into this season, a lot of them played spring hockey together for a couple of years so I think we got a good base together two or three years ago,” Fines said.
Forward Carter Fogarty from Sarnia theorized his club's quick start.
“We're working hard together,” he said.
Although it's their first crack at the AAA level, these nine-year-old players are fairly familiar with each other through spring hockey and proximity. Of the 17-skater roster, it's almost an even split of residents from Sarnia and the county.
“That is a huge reason why we're doing so well,” Fines said. “There's lots of talent out in the county but there's always a hesitation to come play AAA in minor atom, so when you get a mix like that and a talented group of boys and you're drawing the best players from all the surrounding centres we have a much better chance of being successful.”
They currently have representation from each minor hockey association Lambton clubs draw from.
“Which is awesome,” Fines said.
The minor atoms, one of eight Jr. Sting squads, flew out of the hive by winning five of seven regular-season contests then took their first tournament, the York Simcoe Express Steam Train Shootout in early October.
“There was some good GTHL teams there,” Fines said. “Really good introduction to AAA for the boys, get to see different teams outside of our league and you get an early tournament like that and you're successful at it a lot of the boys have a great opportunity to bond right out the gate. It was a really good experience.”
Lambton tied the Toronto Nationals in the opener and lost 4-1 to host York Simcoe in game two, then won four straight including the championship game rematch against the Nats.
“It was a really high-paced game, back and forth,” Fines recalled of the 6-5 final. “We only scored with a couple minutes left to go up one.”
Winning 63 per cent of their games to this point has been a pleasant surprise.
“Typically Lambton teams struggle to be .500,” Fines said. “So for us to come out and be ranked in the top 10 teams in the province and win a tournament and be first overall right now is – I mean, it hasn't happened in a long time.”
The coach expects the group – it's in Buffalo this weekend for the Harbor Centre Cup – to grow through the age levels together but noted there are several other talented '07-born players in the county they could add in the future.
Fines, a former Lambton AAA player and retired National Lacrosse Leaguer, pointed out icing a successful team will draw more scouts to the stands as they grow up.
“It's a great opportunity for these boys,” he said. “I'm hoping that everyone in the county can see that it's possible to field teams that are going to be winning and create that winning culture in the Lambton AAA (system) again.”
MINOR ATOM ROSTER
The team's roster includes goalies Ryder Stokes (Petrolia) and Kaia Pierce (Sarnia), defencemen Alex Patrinos (Bright's Grove), Mason Pomoransky (Watford), Cohnlan Lucas (Sarnia), Luke Laevens (Bright's Grove), Adam Broad (Petrolia) and Colin Bracewell (Sarnia), and forwards Jack Rombouts (Lambton Shores), Ethen Fines (Sarnia), Lucas Rogers (Forest), Carter Fogarty (Sarnia), Carson Crawford (Sarnia), Jack Nesbitt (Sarnia), Owen Knight (Sarnia), Cole Pranger (Kerwood) and Caleb Rosseel (Sombra).
Team staff includes assistant coaches Kevin Allaer, Ryan Lounsbury and Kevin Lush, trainer Mac Young and manager Mike Rombouts.
[email protected]
@ObserverTerry