By Nour Alzahran
The St. Charles College Cardinals boys hockey team may already have been assured a spot at the upcoming OFSAA championships—set to take place in Sudbury from March 18 to 20—but that didn’t stop them from going all out at NOSSA this past week. Despite decisive wins over the Chippewa Ravens (11-0) and the St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Bears (3-0), the Cards ultimately fell just short in a dramatic final against the Korah Colts.
Boys Final: Korah Tops St. Charles in Double OT
A tense 4-2 round-robin loss to the Colts served as a preview of the gold-medal match, one in which both teams had already qualified for OFSAA. Late in the second period of the final, Adam Urso (SCC) broke open a scoreless game, but with just minutes remaining in the third, Griffen Albert (Korah) sniped the tying goal. After a ten-minute 5-on-5 overtime solved nothing, the contest proceeded to a 4-on-4 second overtime, where Deago Campagna (Korah) scored with just two minutes left on the clock, setting off a frenzy on the Colts’ bench.
“We peppered their goalie, and he made some outstanding saves—but Rowan McCann was also fantastic,” said Cardinals head coach Rob Zanatta. Despite the heartbreak, Zanatta remains optimistic: “It was a heartbreaking loss, but the silver lining is that we have more hockey to play. We still have a good chance of getting into the quarter-finals at OFSAA and maybe playing for a medal.”
The Cards will have to keep an eye on the health of SDSSAA playoff MVP Jackson Noble, who separated his shoulder at NOSSA. Whether Noble can return in time for OFSAA remains uncertain.
Girls Final: Lo-Ellen Ready for A/AA OFSAA at Home
The Lo-Ellen Park Knights faced a similar fate on the girls side, settling for a 2-1 defeat in the final against the St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Bears in North Bay. However, the Knights will join the Cardinals as hosts in Sudbury, albeit for the OFSAA A/AA girls tournament.
Lo-Ellen began their NOSSA campaign with a 6-1 victory over the Korah Colts, led by a two-goal showing from Sadie Frantz, with Maddie Buchowski, Sophie Gauld, Isabella Perry, and Gracie Dale also finding the back of the net. They followed up with a 3-1 round-robin win over Scollard Hall, as Gauld scored twice and Frantz once. Unfortunately for the Knights, the Bears exacted revenge in the final, riding two goals from Jade White to secure the gold medal. Frantz scored Lo-Ellen’s lone goal.
OFSAA on the Horizon
While the St. Joseph-Scollard Hall Bears girls will represent NOSSA at the AAA tournament in Aurora, the Lo-Ellen Park Knights will stay home to battle in the A/AA bracket. Meanwhile, the St. Charles College Cardinals will look to bounce back on the boys side, hosting OFSAA in Sudbury at eight different ice pads. Both teams, despite silver finishes, will be eager to leverage home-ice advantage against top provincial competition.
“We think we have that good of a hockey team here,” said Zanatta. His words echo the mindset of a city excited to showcase its high school hockey talent on the biggest stage that Ontario has to offer.