Steve Milton: Late-game goal gives Sabres national title
Madi Burr's late goal - scored from her knees while she was draped by three defenders - lifted the Stoney Creek Sabres to the national under-18 female hockey championship in Saturday's Esso Cup final.
The Sabres finished one of the most memorable seasons in local hockey history with a 5-4 victory over B.C.'s Fraser Valley Rush, after trailing 3-1 through the first period. It was the first Esso Cup tile for the Sabres, who had finished fourth in the program's two other appearances in 2014 and 2019.
I was ecstatic as soon as I saw it went in," said Burr, who will not turn 16 until the end of May. I was just looking for somebody to hug on the ice."
It was a whole 12 months and I'm so glad I got to spend it with these girls. It was amazing. I just don't want it to come to an end."
Many of the under-18s, including Burr and head coach Taylor Abbott, will move up directly to the junior (under-22) Sabres next season.
The Sabres went 7-0 in the six-team Esso Cup, played in Prince Albert, Sask., and concluded the season riding a phenomenal 36-game winning streak, including an undefeated romp through the Ontario championships, where they outscored the opposition 33-1. The last time they lost a game was Jan. 15, when Oakville beat them 4-2.
Stoney Creek played 80 games this year, winning 70 of them, tying three and losing just seven.
It was fitting that Burr, who was named Esso Cup MVP, should score the championship-deciding goal. It was her 21st game-winner in a season in which she notched 70 goals and 129 points in her 77 games. She is the assistant captain to captain Peyton Anzivino, and led the tournament with 15 points, five more than anyone else recorded, with eight goals and seven assists in seven games. She had two goals and an assist in the final, and a goal and an assist in Friday's 3-0 semifinal win over the Northern Selects from Pictou, N.S.
Anzivino, who had 88 points this year, put the Sabres ahead 4-3 in the 10th minute of the third period, but Fraser Valley - who most of the season had been No. 1 in the national rankings, just ahead of Stoney Creek - tied it within a minute.
With overtime looming, Burr retrieved the puck at the Fraser Valley blue line, streaked in from the left side and, after three defenders mobbed her and knocked her to her knees, managed to flip the puck over the Rush goalie.
I just tried to get a shot off and it just sneaked past the goalie," Burr said. It was an unbelievable feeling. The experience of just coming here has been incredible and winning just adds to it."
With diligent pressure, Stoney Creek managed to keep Fraser Valley from pulling their goalie until the final few seconds of the game.
It was a pretty special comeback," Abbott said. I'm sure the girls will never forget this one. Between the second and third period we said, Just focus on having fun. We're down by two, but how many times this year have we scored more than two goals in a period?'"
Then they did it one more time.
Ashlyn Carter and Maren Capannelli scored the other Sabres goals. Along with Burr, Anzivino had a goal and an assist in the semifinal win, with Aubrey Morrison also scoring.
With two assists in the final, Stoney Creek's Caileigh Tiller had 10 points, tied for second overall in the tournament. Tiller had 50 goals and 104 points this season. Tara Bach earned the shutout in the semifinal and finished with the second-best save percentage in the Esso Cup. Mya Castrillo, who relieved Bach in the final, had the third-best save percentage.
Defence players Jaela Carter and Holly VanNetten tied for sixth place in scoring with seven points apiece. Darragh Browne, who was the Sabres' fourth-leading scorer this year with 71 points, recorded five points in the national tournament.
Head coach Taylor Abbott was assisted by Spencer Abbott, Scott Morrison, Carley Blomberg, manager Brad Carter and trainer Alissa Settimi.
The players and staff don't have much downtime; practices for the 2023-24 Sabres under-22 season begin in early June.
Steve Milton is a Hamilton-based sports columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: smilton@thespec.com