Finishing off a hockey season with a championship is always fun. Finishing it with two back-to-back championships is even better.

The Huntsville Bantam AE Thermo-Seal Otters pulled off this neat trick over the past week.

Last Friday night the Otters hosted the North Muskoka Lightening in a winner-take-all final game for the Muskoka-Parry Sound Hockey League championship. The Otters had won a tournament in St. Catharines the previous Sunday and were playing with confidence. Despite falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Otters stormed back to win the game 4-2 and take their second championship in six days.

The Lightening scored two goals in the game’s first seven minutes. Both came off rebounds after the Otters’ goalie Trevor Roffey had stopped the initial shot.

The home team got their first goal midway through the second period. Brendan Krahn scored on a rebound after a shot from Tyler Van Horne. The goal seemed to lift the Otters and they carried the play into the last period. Goalie Ty Coleman replaced Roffey at the game’s midpoint and kept the Lightening in check the rest of the way.

Van Horne scored the tying goal early in the third period, assisted by Krahn and Ethan Ward. The go-ahead goal came from the stick of Curtis Hall, assisted by Ward again. Krahn scored his second of the game, assisted by John Lapp, to clinch the victory and take home the championship.

“The last week has been a great way to end the season,” said head coach Rob Van Horne. “They have really played together. And they have been resilient whenever faced with some adversity, like today.”  

Rose Evans, mother of Otter Brent Evans, summarized the season: “I kept telling anyone who would listen that this team was going to win it all. But two championships in one week are even more than I had predicted. I’m almost sorry the season’s over.”