Slammers edged 4-3 in national final

Connor Tresham collides with Penticton Vees forward Curtis Loik during the RBC Cup gold medal game on Sunday, May 13th, 2012. The Slammers were edged 4-3 by the Vees. Photo by Dylan Lynch - Hockey Canada Images

Despite a narrow defeat, the Woodstock Slammers are the second best Junior A squad in the nation.

The Slammers were edged 4-3 by the Penticton Vees in the final game of the 2012 Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Saskatchewan on Sunday, May 13th.

To make matters worse, the Slammers' defeat was broadcasted on national television.

But to finish second in Canada is still a significant accomplishment, something that Slammers head coach Jason Tatarnic was satisfied with, regardless of winning or losing.

"I'm very proud of our players," Tatarnic stated in a press release on the team's website. "They played with heart and conducted themselves as professionals on and off the ice at the RBC Cup. We made an impact on the community of Humboldt and the Hockey Canada staff."

"We were very close to winning a national championship, and proved to everyone that we were one of the top teams in Canada."

Jake Logan received a holding penalty nearly six minutes into the contest, giving the Vees their first power play. The Vees were on the man advantage for eighty seconds when Mario Lucia passed the puck to Mike Reilly, who passed to Travis St. Denis. St. Denis then slipped a shot past Matt Murphy, giving the Vees a 1-0 lead at 6:13. Whether or not the Vees' first goal could have been prevented with the help of the Slammers' defense is debatable.

Murphy then saved a wraparound attempt over a minute later. The Rothesay native faced seven shots in the first nine minutes of the game, and managed several key saves throughout the RBC Cup Final.

Steven Fogarty increased Penticton's lead to 2-0 at 12:18, another goal that could have been avoided by a greater defensive presence.

 Bradley Greene got the Slammers on the scoreboard sixty one seconds later, reducing the deficit to one to end the first period.

The Slammers received a bench minor penalty for having too many players on the ice with 4:35 remaining in the opening period. But the Vees only ended up with nearly a minute and ten seconds of power play time. Connor Tresham was the victim of a high stick to the face with 3:45 remaining on the clock. The officials called Mario Lucia for interference, resulting in four-on-four play for fifty one seconds. The Slammers ended up on the man advantage for over a minute, but failed to utilize with an extra player on the ice.

The Slammers were out shot by two at the conclusion of the first period.

The Vees wasted no time getting traffic in front of Murphy, who faced four shots in the first three and a half minutes of the middle frame.

A scrum after a whistle ensued nearly halfway through the second period, with Noah Zilbert shoving a Penticton player. No penalties were issued from the incident.

Joey Benik would be sent to the penalty box for hooking just over seven minutes into the period, giving the Slammers a power play. Nick Huard used the man advantage as an opportunity to tie the game at two apiece, receiving a pass from Sam Caldwell and Tim Campbell and beating Vees netminder Michael Garteig at 7:48. The score remained deadlocked at two for the remainder of period two.

Nick Huard and Andrew Langan included the Green Men from Humboldt in their celebration after Huard's goal in Sunday night's contest. Photo by Dylan Lynch - Hockey Canada Images

Campbell was assessed a hooking penalty nearly five minutes later. The Vees didn't manage to use the power play situation to their advantage in this case, but Murphy made a remarkable glove save with seven seconds remaining in the Slammers' penalty kill. 

Greene scored for the second time in Sunday's match only ninety seconds into the third period, giving the Slammers a one-goal lead. Connor Tresham chipped in for the assist.

Watching at home, all one could do was hope while the Slammers took the lead. They gave the illusion that they would bring the RBC Cup home to the Shiretown, but Penticton had other intentions. Bryce Gervais tied the game at three at 11:10. The puck went off the edge of Murphy's skate and past the line, putting the 1,700-strong crowd at the edge of their seats.

Logan was called for tripping with 2:18 remaining in regulation. Logan managed a total of 18 penalty minutes in the entire tournament.

As spectators at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt and at home began anticipating extra time, Slammers bench boss Jason Tatarnic called a time out in effort to be completely sure that Woodstock's penalty kill knew what was up.

Logan's penalty spelled the Slammers' fate. Ben Miller turned the puck over to Joey Benik, who beat Matt Murphy with 50.9 seconds remaining in the game, deciding the victor for the 2012 RBC Cup.

Joey Benik is seen here scoring on Matt Murphy late in the third period in Sunday's contest. Photo by Dylan Lynch - Hockey Canada Images

Benik celebrating after his game-winning goal. Photo by Dylan Lynch - Hockey Canada Images

"The RBC Cup will always be a great memory for us, win or lose," Tatarnic commented in a press release. "It was an experience of a lifetime. But we plan to be back."

"Our journey began in September and our end destination was Humboldt, Saskatchewan. In that time, we traveled 41,510 kilometres." 

The Slammers and Vees were both strong teams. Penticton finished the regular season with a 54-4-0-2 overall record, while Woodstock finished with an overall record of 45-6-1-0. Combined with the playoffs and the RBC Cup, the Vees' overall record is 74-10-2-0, while the Slammers' stood at 63-13-1-0.

The Slammers were the first Maritime-based team to reach the RBC Cup since the Halifax Oland Exports achieved a similar feat in 2002.

The 2012 championship was Penticton's first RBC Cup victory since 1986, when the squad was known as the Knights, and the prize was the Centennial Cup.

A public banquet is scheduled for tomorrow from 3 to 4 pm at the Woodstock Golf and Curling Club, where the public is invited to express their appreciation and pride in the Slammers' progress in the 2011-2012 year.