Cyclones Shine At OHL Cup

Few expected the Chatham-Kent Cyclones Minor Midget ‘AAA’ team to do as much damage at the 2014 OHL Cup as they did. The Cyclones entered as the third entry from the Alliance Hockey, but made waves this past week, advancing to the semi-finals before being ousted by the Toronto Marlboros.

“We performed exceptionally well as a team,” said Cyclones forward Nick Delyzer of his team’s OHL Cup performance. “We stuck to our coaches systems, believed in each other and had a great effort from every guy in the lineup. Obviously every team there earned their way and every game was a battle from start to finish.”

In the quarter finals, Chatham upset the Guelph Gryphons 3-2 with the Cyclones receiving goals from Nick Delyzer, Brady Pataki, and Phillip Clarke. Pataki and Delyzer also added assists in the win, while goaltender Joseph Raaymakers was named the game star.

In the semi-final, Chatham-Kent’s 1998 born squad battled hard before falling 6-2 to the Marlboros. Ross Krieger and Blair Derynck scored Chatham’s goals, while Brady Pataki was named the team’s game star.

“Our goal at the start of the year was to make it to the OHL Cup,” said Cyclones captain Levi Tetrault. “We far exceeded that. We played some of the best hockey of our season, against some of the best teams and made to the semi-finals, as one of the top four teams in Ontario. We really came together as a team. We tried to play every game as hard as we could and never gave up,” he added.

Several Cyclones significantly raised their OHL draft status at the OHL Cup with strong performances, and the additional exposure over the week. Brady Pataki skyrocketed up many scouts’ draft chart after the big bodied Wallaceburg resident played a dominant power forward role for the Cyclones over the week, and landed in the top 20 in tournament scoring, finishing with eight points in six games, along with Jarret Marks, who scored five goals in six game.

“The OHL Cup was such a great experience for the whole team,” said Marks of the showcase tournament. “We battled hard to get there and once we got there we didn’t stop. It was a great way to finish off a great year with a bunch of great guys, we really pulled together as a unit.”

For the Cyclones, it was an organizational first, as the ‘AAA’ organization hadn’t sent a team to the OHL Cup since the tournament was founded. With their appearance, the Cyclones will undoubtedly have more players drafted in the OHL Priority Selection Draft April 5 than originally anticipated, and the team has set a precedent for Chatham-Kent Cyclones age groups to come.

“It was a tremendous opportunity to represent the Chatham-Kent Cyclones and perform as well as we did,” says Delyzer about the opportunity. “It was truly an incredible experience playing and competing with the top players and teams in the province. The community support was fantastic, which motivated us.”