Bantam Seahawks bring home gold

Deer Lake; Lewisporte - The Bantam Seahawks took to the ice for their last tournament of the year during the Easter break as they travelled to Deer Lake to compete in the Provincial 'D' Championship.

Teams competing in the tournament included the Lewisporte Seahawks, Bay Arena, Twin Town, Marystown, Clarenville and host Deer Lake.

The Seahawks opened the tournament with a tough match against the hometown Deer Lake. This game was a seesaw match-up from start to finish with Deer Lake pulling out the win 10-9. The Seahawks had a 8-6 lead going into the third period but couldn't hold off the surging Deer Lake team as they scored four goals in the period to hand the Seahawks their first loss of the tournament. Jonathan Oake and Ryan Manuel each had hattricks while Matt Chaulk added two goals in a losing effort.

The Seahawks came out with vengeance on their mind in the second game of their round robin as they manhandled Twin Town 10-0. Brandon Collins had a four-point game while Nathan Hill and Nathan Quinlan each added markers for the Seahawks. Jonathan Bennett captured the shutout for the Seahawks. The next morning, the Seahawks played their third game and continued where they left off as they defeated Marystown 5-1. Richard Kinden manned the net and captured the win for the Seahawks while Jonathan Oake continued his impressive play scoring three goals and adding an assist in the win.

With a spot in the final in their sights, the Seahawks next faced the Clarenville Caribous in what was a close game until the third period. The Seahawks scored three quick third period goals to give them a 6-2 win and a spot in the championship game. Zach Steiner scored a goal and assist while Johnny Canning also hit the back of the net for the Seahawks. With the championship set between Lewisporte and Deer Lake, the Seahawks had to finish out their round robin play with their last match going against Bay Arena. Tempers flared in that game which caused the game to be called off in the first period.

The focus then shifted to the championship game in which the Seahawks tried to make uo for their round robin loss. Things didn't start well for the Seahawks as they fell behind quickly as Deer Lake lead after the first period 2-0. The Seahawks weren't able muster much offense in the second either as they scored only one goal off the stick of Jonathan Oake while Deer Lake netted two more goals to give them a 4-1 lead and what looked like a sure championship for their fans.

The Seahawks, however, had other plans and weren't about to give up. After a pep-talk from coach Larry Kinden, the Seahawks came out with renewed confidence and showed that they are a championship team, scoring five unanswered goals to hand them the championship. Ryan Manuel, Nathan Hill and Matt Chaulk each scored three points for the Seahawks in the third period to help with the comeback victory.

Jonathan Oake was also named MVP for the tournament while Marcus Freake captured the honors of Best Defenseman for the tournament.