U11 A King Rebellion finished second in OMHAs

April 13, 2022 · 0 Comments

By Robert Belardi

At the beginning of April, the U11 A King Rebellion travelled to the OMHA tournament in Whitby looking to make history for the minor hockey program.
Ranked second in all of the province of Ontario, the Rebellion achieved their goal, to become the first ever team in the minor hockey program to make it to the OMHA finals.
Coming off an undefeated regular season, everyone in the tournament knew, the Rebellion were one of the top teams.
Right from the get-go, the U11 A Rebellion, asserted their dominance on the ice, showcasing to the entirety of the tournament what this team is made of.
In the opening game against the host team Whitby, the Rebellion cruised to a 7-1 victory. Alexander Artenosi got the boys on the board first, Ben Caporiccio and Peter Cortese scored twice and Luca Sebastiano and Jonathan Racco also both found the net.
Head coach, Anthony Cortese utilized both of his netminders Julian Daher and Nicholas Iaboni in the opening game.
In the second game of the tournament, the Rebellion defeated the Norfolk Knights 4-2, officially eliminating their opposition from the tournament. In a difficult game, having spent most of the second period shorthanded, the Rebellion experienced what it was like to take on a team desperate for a win.
Ryon Mottaghi got the boys on the board first, Cortese scored his third goal of the tournament and Dylan Sahjpaul found the back of the net as well in the first to establish an immediate three-goal advantage.
In the third period, Carter Dunlop ripped it bar-down to extend the lead. The Knights got on the board late as the game ended 4-2.
In the final round-robin game, up against the Centre Wellington Fusion; who were also facing elimination, the Rebellion, went on to win 3-1. Mottaghi, Artenosi and Adrian Sorgini contributed goals to earn the win.
Defensively, this was also a statement game for the boys on the back end. Massimo Cesana, Christian Mazzaferro, Samuel Samaroo, James Strachan, Christian Viola and Darcy Wilson shut down the Fusion.
The semifinals were an all-York-Simcoe match-up as the Rebellion had to get past Barrie to reach the finals. The Rebellion went on to win 4-2.
Heading into the finals, it was fitting the first and second ranked teams in all of Ontario would be squaring up for the OMHA title. The Woolwich Wildcats were going to be a tough opponent.
Despite dominating the first period, the Rebellion’s high-powered offence was stymied by a red-hot Wildcats goaltender.
The opposition utilized the goaltender’s stellar play as motivation to take chances offensively. With just over a minute left to play in the opening period, the Wildcats opened the scoring.
The Wildcats potted home two quick goals in the second period to make it 3-0. With a mountain to climb, the Rebellion did everything they could to get back into the game.
Darcy Wilson found the back of the net in the third period, however, it was too late, as the Wildcats were crowned champions of the OMHA with a 5-1 victory.
In truth, although losing the OMHA finals, these boys will move on up in their Rebellion age groups, knowing they left it all out on the ice. There are valuable lessons taken away from this tournament and of course, from this season.
It’s a testament to the team’s work ethic and dedication. It’s a testament to the coaching staff and team manager. It’s also a testament to the parents, for ensuring that their children are at practice and at games on time.
In a written summary of the season submitted by team coach Anthony Cortese, he sent out a huge thank you to Rebellion administrator and ice scheduler Julie Kerr for attending the tournament, president’s Remo Di Giovanni and Ilya Dagenais and development director Don Smith for their kind words and inspiration.
Cortese would like to thank the coaching staff Elliott Burlon, Jordy Dunlop, Mark Viola and Marc Zanette for all of their efforts. He would like to thank team managers Melissa and John Sebastiano, for their work this year.
Cortese would like to thank the parents and everyone from the Township of King, who came out to see the Rebellion in action.
And of course, last but not least, a massive thank you to all of the players for an incredible season, starting with netminders Julian Daher and Nicholas Iaboni, defenceman Massimo Cesana, Christian Mazzaferro, Samuel Samaroo, James Strachan, Christian Viola and Darcy Wilson and forwards, Alexander Artenosi, Ben Caporiccio, Peter Cortese, Carter Dunlop, Ryon Mottaghi, Jonathan Racco, Dylan Sahjpaul, Luca Sebastiano and Adrian Sorgini.