The Ontario Hockey Academy (OHA) Gold team captured the East Coast Elite League (ECEL) championship two weekends ago, defeating Connecticut in a hard-fought final.
OHA Gold entered the playoff weekend ranked third in the five-team league and battled through five games in just over 48 hours to claim the title.
The championship game got off to a tough start, with Connecticut’s Bode Barrett opening the scoring just over three minutes in. However, OHA responded immediately as Jordan Laycock netted the equalizer only 10 seconds later. Connecticut regained the lead midway through the first half, and OHA entered intermission trailing 2-1.
Early in the second half, a crucial shorthanded goal from Jeffrey Kitty tied the game once again. Just past the halfway mark, Ariel Elkin capitalized on a precision passing play with Ryan Wong and Keenan Nelson to score what proved to be the game-winner. Goaltender Ocean Li made 24 saves, and key shot blocks by captain Ollie Ruski-Jones and Keenan Nelson helped preserve the lead. Diego Testa sealed the victory with an empty-net goal in the final seconds.
“They came together as a team, and it was a great effort,” said OHA Head Coach Arnie Caplan. “It has been nice to see the improvements of individual players as well as the team as a whole over the course of the season.”
Hockey Director Patrick Turcotte emphasized the collective effort that fueled the championship run. “Having to play five games in just over 48 hours at this time of year requires significant contributions from everyone,” he said. “Truly a great achievement – we are very happy and proud of the entire group!”
OHA, a premier private hockey school in Cornwall, is recognized as one of North America’s top high-performance academic and hockey development programs. The ECEL provides elite competition for players aiming to advance to junior, NCAA, and professional hockey.
