The name on the gamesheet reads Blake Telfer but a name change may be in order to maybe Blank Telfer, perhaps. The Ingersoll Express CAW Local 88 Midget Rep netminder was brilliant in backstopping his club to three straight shutout victories, including the championship final at a Major Midget A tournament in Bracebridge last weekend.
The last door that Telfer slammed was easily the most satisfying as it came against a Brampton Battalion team that steamrolled it's way to the final and had previously driven Telfer from the net in the tournament's opening tilt on Friday evening. That game was an extremely lopsided affair that saw the Battalion win every battle on the ice as well as all the mental ones. The Local 88's were clearly rattled by the bigger, more physical Brampton squad who pushed the intimidation envelope all game. The Express skaters hung Telfer out to dry as he faced a barrage of rubber from the sticks of the Brampton squad. After five pucks found their way to the back of the Express net, Michael Hazen was brought in to mop up. Like his partner, Hazen received little support from the mates in front of him and Brampton tallied twice more while Damon Carradine and Zack Box, from Jacob Parkhill and Jesiah Sweetland, struck for Ingersoll. Three of the winner's markers came shorthanded en-route to their 7-2 victory.
Hazen got the nod in game two and provided solid support for his club as the Local 88's danced past Blenheim by a 4-2 count. The two teams had previously squared off in an exciting three-overtime period game in a tournament in Pt. Dover in which the Local 88's had come out on top to capture Consolation Champ honours. This game wasn't as exciting as that one but no less satisfying as Carradine opened the gates with a brilliant foray through opposition checking to pot the game's first goal with assistance from Derick Tonin. Eric Bennett then buldged the twine twice, the first one unassisted. Tonin and Captain Daniel Riley drew assists on his second. Blenheim then made it interesting with a pair before Jesse Shelton sealed the deal with Tonin once again assisting.
Both teams would square off again as Telfer was back between the pipes ready to rebound from game one's disappointment. He was sharp in pitching his first shutout in the 4-0 Ingersoll triumph. Shelton tallied first from Jake Schneider and Parkhill. Hayden Martin potted the second with assists from Bennett and Schneider while Bennett, unassisted and Tonin from Martin and Bennett rounded out the scoring.
The semi-final contest had the Express lining up against Lincoln Township. Another solid defensive team effort was the highlight of the 4-0 Ingersoll victory as Telfer recorded shutout number two. Darren Tyrrell pushed the first Ingersoll puck past the Lincoln keeper and that goal seemed to take the wind out of the opposition's sails as Lincoln had looked strong in the early going. Bennett then parked his first of two in the Lincoln cage with help from Shelton and Riley. Schneider got help from Kyle Hooper and Kevin Way to put the Local 88's up by three before Bennett finished unassisted.
The table was now set for a rematch with the heavily favoured Brampton club whose confidence was clearly on display all over the arena. But, alas the game still had to be played. What followed was something a Hollywood script-writer would be proud of as the Express came out with fire in their bellies and took it to the Battalion who clearly had underestimated the resolve of their opponents. Telfer was brilliant and the defence corps of Box, Riley, Martin and Alex Vyse was superb in support of a group of forwards who clearly had made keeping pucks out of their end the top priority. Hooper championed the offence as his tenacious forechecking rewarded him and his teammates with both of Ingersoll's goals in a 2-0 championship win. Martin, Parkhill and Tyrrell earned assists. The game ending celebration was well earned as the squad was joined on ice by valuable teammates Sweetland, Schneider, Jordan Travis and Graham Hall who were unavailable due to injury.
