The first two games of the series were closely fought contests, but the Castors pulled through in the end to score the game-winner in back-to-back double-overtime bouts. Game three was more one-sided, as the Castors crushed the Rangers 5-1 in Clarence to take a three-game lead in the series. The Castors started game four in South Grenville on the right foot, taking a 2-1 lead after 20 minutes of play. The Ranger then managed to tie the game in the second period, but Nicholas Gaumond finally scored the game-winner in the third period to take game four and bring the NCJHL Championship home. Castors\u2019 goaltender Corey Camirand was named finals MVP.<\/p>\n
Castors\u2019 Head Coach Tim Kosch is really proud of the work his team accomplished this year, and even happier that all of their efforts finally paid off: \u201cIt\u2019s a great feeling to be league champions after everything we went through. I\u2019m kind of relieved that we were able to close it out in four games and not let the series drag on.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the Castors ending the season with the best record in the NCJHL, the team felt there was growing pressure to deliver a championship, and they rose and shone in the finals: \u201cWith the growing expectations on our shoulders, we wanted to prove that what we accomplished this year was not a fluke\u201d said Kosch. \u201cWe played with that sense of pride and urgency.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Coach Kosch, the key to the Castors\u2019 success in the finals is the same as it has been all year: defence and discipline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe won the finals playing the same style of hockey we\u2019ve been playing all year\u201d said Kosch, \u201cDefence and discipline are our number one priorities. I warned the guys that it was going to be tough, that they were going to take a lot of bumps and bruises, a lot of sticks and elbows, but that they would have to suck it up, keep a cool head, and stick to the game plan. It paid off in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the adversity the Castors faced during the series was not only of the physical kind. Castors\u2019 goaltender Corey Camirand, who had not played in games one and two of the finals after his dog passed away, was mercilessly taunted about his dog by the opposing team as well as the fans during the last game in South Grenville.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really proud of the way Corey dealt with the harassment\u201d said Kosch. \u201dIt\u2019s really unbecoming of hockey fans to behave in this way. But he delivered the kind of performance we expect from him, and proved himself to be a better person on top of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The next hockey season might look very different for the Castors, as this year\u2019s team was built around a core of 20- and 21-year-old veterans who won\u2019t be returning. However, there are five or six players on the team that will be making a return next year, including 2021-2022 NCJHL Rookie of the Year Xavier Brunet, so there is hope that the Castors might rebuild a championship contender next year.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve had to rebuild for two of the last three years,\u201d said Kosch \u201cand we\u2019ll have to do it again next year. But we have five or six guys in the locker room that will be returning with the experience of winning a championship, so we\u2019ll definitely have a good foundation to build on.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Clarence Castors swept the South Grenville Rangers in the finals to win the 2022 NCJHL Championship. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":21136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21135","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports-loisirs"],"acf":[],"featured_media_global":[],"yoast_head":"\n