Elgin Park's Orcas were fire on the ice in South Surrey Thursday, winning their second Zwick Cup in a row.
Thirteen Surrey high schools compete in the City of Surrey-run league, which has two tiers, and play for the coveted Zwick Cup, named after Delta Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Glenn Zwick.
Tier 1's Orcas competed against Lord Tweedsmuir on South Surrey's Olympic-sized ice Thursday (March 13) in a dynamic game with plenty of plot twists, with fans from both schools packing the stands to cheer on their teams.
"It was really amazing to see the support from all members of our school and local community. We had teachers and their families there, all of our admin and a lot of proud parents and grandparents. We also had an incredible student section all adorned in white," Elgin Park athletic director Chris Ellett said in an email.
"The cool part about the student section is that most of them played on our soccer, volleyball and basketball teams earlier in the year. They were supported by the hockey boys, and now this was their chance to reciprocate. I鈥檓 so proud of how the school community had rallied together over the past few years to really build a family feeling. As many of our Elgin shirts say, 'We are all part of the pod' and 'Elgin is for everyone.'"
The first period was tight and finished 0-0 thanks to some great goaltending by netminder Ethan Bower, a later-season callup who stepped in "admirably" and helped win the semifinal vs. Grandview in a shootout, Ellett noted in an email.
Elgin took over in the second and built up a 2-0 lead before Tweedsmuir thought they had tied it up, as a smart coach's challenge by Elgin's teacher coaches 鈥� Lindsey Ellett, Kelvin Kainth and Shaun Ewanchuk 鈥� resulted in a goal being disallowed, Ellet said. Elgin quickly made it 3-1 heading into the third.
Midway through the third, a Tweedsmuir player went end-to-end and scored a "McDavid-like goal" to make it 3-2, Ellet continued, but the Orcas defended well in the final six minutes and held on to win their second Zwick Cup in a row and third in the past five years.
Ellett gave credit to all three coaches for building a fun and competitive hockey program at the school.
Coach Lindsey Ellett said all coaches "couldn't be more proud" of the team "for the heart, determination, and sheer grit they showed throughout this championship run," she said via email Sunday (March 16). "Coming in as the fourth seed, we knew we had a battle ahead, but these players rose to the challenge and proved they belong at the top. Winning back-to-back Zwick Cups is no small feat, and they earned every bit of it."
She credited the team's success with their "rock-solid defense, relentless offensive pressure, and of course, the incredible performance of our goalie."
"To step up at this level, having never played at such a high intensity before, and then to be the clear MVP of the game 鈥� it鈥檚 simply outstanding. A true testament to their work ethic and composure under pressure."
In Tier 2 action, Clayton Heights won 3-2 over Sullivan Heights in overtime, after Clayton scored the tie goal to send it to OT with only seconds tp spare. A teddy toss held at intermission by Elgin's Create Change Club also raised funds for Atira House, as well as the local food bank.
