Tappara Finland defeated the Brantford 99ers 5-1 to capture the U-15 A/AA championship at the 53rd Wayne Gretzky International Hockey Tournament on Monday, December 30, 2024.
The 99ers started off strong by winning the opening faceoff, however, it didn’t take long for Finland to take control of the ice.
Tappara’s Maximilian Kuusela quickly brought the score 1-0 just 31 seconds into the first, and just a minute later, Lauri Haverinen brought it up 2-0.
Despite being kept on their toes, the 99ers didn’t back down and it was Renson Hill, with an assist from Tallen Pelton and William Davidson, who managed to score the hometown team’s first goal with just 1:20 left in the first.
Heading into the second, a majority of the play kept the 99ers keeping up their defense and their goalie, Tanner Evans, busy in the net.
Despite Brantford’s best efforts, it was Finland’s Liius Nurmi who secured the next goal with just over five minutes left in the second.
While the 99ers eventually got a five-to-three advantage during the last four minutes, they were unable to score and the period ended with 3-1 lead for Finland.
Heading into the third, tensions were high as the hometown team tried to cover some ground however, Lauri Toivola and Maximilian Kuusela of Finland who solidified Tappara’s 5-1 win after they each scored a goal just five minutes apart.
Jordy McGowan, Head Coach for the 99ers, later said that while it was a tough loss, it was an incredible game.
“The kids gave 100 per cent and they battled through whatever Finland gave us,” he said. “The team that Finland brought in this year was an exceptionally talented team and we knew we had to compete to try and get to their level. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out for us but at the end of the day, my team did everything a coach could ask.”
McGowan added that despite the loss, himself and the other coaches were proud of what their team accomplished.
“When you’re playing a team like Finland’s, you’ve got to structure your team differently and I’m super happy with how my kids adapted to the format we asked them to play,” he said. “That’s the highest level team we’ve ever played so even though we lost 5-1, I’m super happy that the kids played their hearts out and as coaches, we’re super proud of what they accomplished and we’re looking forward to where the season’s going.”
Kimberly De Jong’s reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative.The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at kimberly.dejong@brantbeacon.ca.
