OHSWEKEN – It was the climax of the 2016 to 2017 Six Nations Men’s Hockey, A.K.A. Bush League, season Saturday with the Six Nations Spirits and the Mill Pond Monsters.
The Sprits were down three games to none and had their backs against the wall. They needed a win to stay alive.
But when the referees took the ice to start the game, there was only one team that followed them onto the ice. While the Mill Pond Monsters were warming up their goalie, there was three Spirits skating at their end of the Gaylord Powless Arena.
Maybe the rest of the team was there in spirit, but the bodies were not. Finally, a goalie and five skaters were mustered to pull on the jerseys for Game No. 4. Eventually two more spirits entered the game, a little late but providing relief for the Spirits’ aching legs and lungs.
“It really pisses me off,” said league convener Peewee Green.
“But we’re going to play this game anyhow.”
Green was responding to how the Spirits could not scare up more players for a pivotal game.
It turned into a pretty good game, at least for two periods. Despite the empty Spirits’ players bench, the game was tied at 1-1 after the first period. Jesse Sault scored for the Spirits and Mitch Green for the Monsters.
Surprisingly, the Spirits were still very much in the game after the second period but the Monsters were beginning to rise, leading 4-3.
It’s hard to win when you have two spares on the bench when the team you are playing has a full roster, and loads of talent, and the Spirits began to fade in the third period.
John Monture began the barrage two and a half minutes into the period to make it 5-3 and followed with another at 11:19. Jesse Johnson and Keelan Green piled on to make it 7-3.
Fresh off his great season with the Brantford Blast of the Allan Cup League, Cam Sault made it 7-4 from Marty Hill and Heath Hill.
Oakley Thomas answered for the Monsters from Keeton Green, and Ian Martin scored The Monster’s 12th goal to win the game, and the Championship Cup for the 2016 to 2017 season.
Mitch Green won MVP honours for the Monsters scoring five goals and assisting on another. Spirits MVP was Cameron Sault with two goals and two assists. He could also have won the Iron Lungs award if there were such a thing. He spent almost all game on the ice, end to end.
Green was his usual smooth skating self with a deadly accurate shot.
