United States takes narrow victory at 2019 Battle of the Border
Toronto, Ont. – It was a close one, but the United States skated away with a 54-51 point victory at the 2019 Battle of the Border, winning the event for the sixth consecutive year.
The 35-game event held this past weekend at Windsor’s WFCU Centre featured a total of 24 teams from across Ontario, Detroit and Illinois competing in two divisions with Under-15 talent eligible for the 2020 OHL Priority Selection as well as Under-14 Major Bantam players that will be eligible for the 2021 OHL Priority Selection.
“The 2019 edition of the OHL Battle of the Border was once again an excellent event,” said OHL Director of Recruitment Kyle Pereira. “The calibre of play at both the Bantam and Minor Midget levels was extremely strong. It was an excellent opportunity for the players to showcase their abilities in front of dozens of OHL Team Executives and they certainly didn’t disappoint. There was no shortage of great teams, great hockey games and great plays from the young men in both age groups.”
Players and their families had the opportunity to watch the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires practice on Saturday morning then play the North Bay Battalion in a hard-fought 6-4 comeback win in the evening. There were also information seminars focusing on areas such as the league’s scholarship program, professional support programs, development opportunities, benefits, player environment, and safety, health and welfare programs.
“In hosting the OHL Education Seminars it provided a great opportunity for both Canadian and American players to be exposed to the countless benefits that the Ontario Hockey League affords its players both from an education, scholarship and development perspective,” added Pereira. “As a league, we are thrilled with the result of this year’s event and look forward to continuing to improve the experience for players in years to come.”
This year’s combined scored was 54-51 in favour of the U.S.A. using a format that combined results from both divisions awarding three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime or shootout win, and a single point for an overtime or shootout loss.
In the Minor Midget category, the Chicago Mission played to a perfect 3-0 record while Detroit Honeybaked went 2-0, scoring 10 goals in both of their victories. The Southern Tier Admirals were the top performing Ontario team with a pair of wins.
The Major Bantam category saw two Ontario teams in the host Windsor Jr. Spitfires and Mississauga Reps both play to 3-0 records while the Chicago Mission were also undefeated at 3-0.
The Detroit Honeybaked duo of Max Namestnikov (5-3–8) and Frank Nazar (3-5–8) tied for the Minor Midget lead in scoring while teammate Cole Spicer (5-1–6) and Chicago Mission forward Carson Walters (3-3–6) trailed close behind.
“On behalf of the Ontario Hockey League, I would like to thank all players, parents, coaches and training staff from the 12 Ontario and 12 HPHL teams that participated in this past weekend’s event,” said OHL Manager of Development and Events Wade Branch. “We hope all teams had an incredible experience and wish them the best of luck for the duration of their seasons.
“In addition, we would like to thank the Windsor Spitfires and WFCU Centre staff for their tremendous support throughout the event.”
Minor Midget Under-15 Schedule and Results:
Friday, November 8 (Day 1 Recap):
Toronto Marlboros 2 vs. Detroit Compuware 1
Toronto Titans 3 vs. Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 2
Southern Tier Admirals 1 vs. Chicago Mission 2
Sun County Panthers 2 vs. Chicago Young Americans 4
Ajax-Pickering Raiders vs. Team Illinois 5 – OT
Saturday, November 9 (Day 2 Recap):
Chicago Mission 6 vs. Sun County Panthers
Detroit Compuware 4 vs. Toronto Titans 2
Detroit Honeybaked 10 vs. Toronto Marlboros 1
Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 5 vs. Toronto Jr. Canadiens 1
Team Illinois 1 vs. Southern Tier Admirals 2
Chicago Young Americans 1 vs. Ajax-Pickering Raiders 3
Sunday, November 10 (Day 3 Recap):
Ajax-Pickering Raiders 2 vs. Chicago Mission 3
Toronto Jr. Canadiens 1 vs. Detroit Compuware 2
Southern Tier Admirals 2 vs. Chicago Young Americans 1
Sun County Panthers 0 vs. Team Illinois 1
Toronto Titans 5 vs. Detroit Honeybaked 10
Toronto Marlboros 3 vs. Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 4 – SO
TOTAL U15 SCORE:
USA 34 vs. ONT 17
Bantam Under-14 Schedule & Results:
Friday, November 8:
Toronto Jr. Canadiens 2 vs. Detroit Honeybaked 3
Sun County Panthers vs. Detroit Compuware 6
Windsor Jr. Spitfires 5 vs. Chicago Young Americans 0
Oakville Rangers 6 vs. Team Illinois 3
Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs 1 vs. Chicago Mission 2
Mississauga Reps 7 vs. Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 1
Saturday, November 9:
Chicago Mission 8 vs. Oakville Rangers 1
Detroit Compuware 3 vs. Windsor Jr. Spitfires 5
Detroit Honeybaked 2 vs. Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs 1
Team Illinois 1 vs. Toronto Jr. Canadiens 3
Chicago Young Americans 1 vs. Mississauga Reps 5
Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 6 vs. Sun County Panthers 7
Sunday, November 10:
Mississauga Reps 5 vs. Detroit Compuware 3
Toronto Jr. Canadiens 2 vs. Chicago Mission 4
Hamilton Jr. Bulldogs 1 vs. Team Illinois 0
Oakville Rangers 5 vs. Detroit Honeybaked 4
Sun County Panthers 3 vs. Chicago Young Americans 4 – OT
Windsor Jr. Spitfires 3 vs. Oakland Jr. Grizzlies 1
TOTAL U14 SCORE:
ONT 34 vs. USA 20
COMBINED SCORE:
USA 54 vs. ONT 51
Loading ...