When the dust finally cleared, Selwyn House had beaten the mighty John Rennie team 4-3 on a second-effort goal by Matti Parnenon in the second overtime period.
“It was an unbelievably entertaining game,” said Gryphons’ assistant coach Bruce Maxwell. “(Goalie) Tim Shaw was absolutely outstanding. He always made the big save when he had to.”
Scoring for Selwyn House were William Kendrick, Dan Ton-That, and Parnenon with two.
The Gryphons never fell behind at any point in the game, which helped them maintain their momentum. “It’s also a testament to their character — persevering when it mattered most, and clinching the championship,” said Maxwell.
Selwyn House went into the game as an underdog against John Rennie, which, as a Sport Etudes school, has a bigger pool of older players to draw upon.
“Many of our big players stood tall and rose to a higher standard,” said Maxwell. “All of our players deserve a lot of credit for their outstanding performance.”
The Bantam Gryphons had their ups and downs throughout the season. In one game, against Heritage, half their players were home sick. November was mixed, but by December break they were in first place, only to hit a slump in January and have to climb back up during February to get into the playoffs.
In the playoffs, they eliminated Vincent Massey, Loyola, and Heritage to get to the final.
“The championship is the absolute highlight,” said Maxwell the morning after their final win. “And watching their excitement on the ice last night was tremendous.”
Nov. 11 vs. Centennial Regional 1-1 (T)
Nov. 18 vs. Lester B. Pearson 5-2 (L)
Nov. 19 vs. HS Billings 6-1 (W)
Nov. 25 vs. LCC 6-0 (W)
Dec. 10 vs. Beaconsfield 6-2 (W)
Jan. 13 vs. John Rennie 6-2 (L)
Jan. 20 vs. Kuper Academy 2-1 (L)
Jan. 21 vs. LCC 2-1 (W)
Jan. 23 vs. John Rennie 4-2 (W)
Jan. 27 vs. Vincent Massey 6-3 (W)
Feb. 2 vs. Heritage 6-4 (L)
Feb. 3 vs. Vincent Massey 6-3 (L)
Feb. 4 vs. Centennial 6-0 (W)
Feb. 10 vs. Lester B. Pearson 9-3 (W)
Feb. 16 vs. Massey-Vanier 7-3 (W)
Feb. 17, GMAA Playoff Quarter-final vs. Loyola 4-1 (W)
