CKSS Golden Hawks win Kent Championship in dramatic shootout

2011 Kent Champions - Chatham-Kent Secondary School

Dresden, ON – It came down to the final save, but the Chatham-Kent Secondary School Golden Hawks Boys Hockey team outlasted the Lambton-Kent Composite School Cardinals for a 3-2 overtime win, capturing the Kent Championship. The win marked CKSS’ first KCSSAA hockey championship in almost half a decade.

Dresden (LKCS), carried the play for much of the game outshooting CKSS in the first period. CKSS jumped out to an early lead however after Macks Holmes banged home a lose puck. Taylor Sisson of LKCS tied it up only minutes later with his first of two goals in the game.

CKSS Goalie Devon Cove makes the game winning shootout save

In the second, LKCS continued their strong play, but CKSS goaltender Devon Cove continued to shut the door on the Cardinals. CKSS regained the lead after Brodie Weaver tapped in a rebound off a Zach Prail point shot. Again, Sisson answered back for LKCS knotting the game at 2-2.

For many CKSS players, this moment has been a long time coming, “I’ve waited four years for this win,” said grade 12 CKSS defenseman Ashwin Roy. CKSS last won the Kent title in 2007, before any current team members played for the team.

The game was far from a sure thing however, as the LKCS Cardinals finished 1-point ahead of the Golden Hawks in the regular season, including a late season LKCS win in Dresden over CKSS.

“Our guys had a lot of nerves early in the game,” said CKSS head coach Marc Poirer, “but they came up big when it mattered.”

Next Wednesday, CKSS will face the Northern Vikings in Sarnia in the SWOSSAA semi-final. Win or lose, this will not be the end of the line for this strong CKSS team. Next season, the team is expecting to lose only two players.